


Tandem Triumvirate

by Talonticus



Series: Other Talon legacy tales [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Drama, Established Relationship, F/F, Humor, Jaesandwich, Multi, One-Shots, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2018-06-07 19:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6821374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talonticus/pseuds/Talonticus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being in between Carsen and Vette can be wonderful or just painfully annoying.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Drunk on fools

**Author's Note:**

> _If you haven't read "Among the faded tales" (and I don't blame you), I initiated a poly romance between Kira, Jaesa and Vette in it. After that one, I just haven't had much chance to write anything with them, but as I had an idea a few days ago, I decided I'd start this little fic up. This will mostly be like, a collection of random and (hopefully) short stories (or uh, drabbles? This might be too long tho) with these three, in a light-hearted and somewhat romantic fashion, whenever I think of something new. At least I hope it will. I don't claim to be good at it, or anything, I just throw out what's on my mind._
> 
> _Occasionally, there might be appearances from some of my own characters or other companions. We'll see._

An open field located in the middle of an ocean filled with red and yellow vegetation. The gentle breeze that blows across the short grass carries with it a somewhat colder sensation that helps abate the heat in the air. It’s a fine day to spend outside on this part of the Mid Rim world, which has been untouched so far by the war which rages in other parts of the galaxy.  
As a small avian creature takes a shortcut in the air above the field, it is soon scared off into another direction, as some sort of red and blue object comes flying past it, without any wings or features that could distinguish it as a normal animal on this part of the planet, and seconds later gets obliterated by blaster fire.

“Hah! Bullseye.”

“Pft, don’t look so smug. That was an easy one.”

The two voices are heard from the middle of the field, where two women are standing around, with about ten meters of distance in between them. One of them is a blue-skinned twi’lek, with striped markings over half of her lekkus and red headband with an intricate metal piece at the center. She holds a blaster pistol in one of her hands.  
The other is a copper-red haired and fair skinned human, standing by a bag which is placed on the ground, holding an assortment of disposable items. While she’s wearing more loose brown and blue robes, the twi’lek is dressed in simple blue shorts and a green sleeveless shirt.

Vette flashes a small grin towards Kira.  
“Then don’t hold back, stupid. Give me something with that famous Carsen bite.”

Kira smirks back at her and briefly shakes her head.  
“Well, hey, you asked for it.”  
She leans back down towards the bag and this time picks up three more items. They’re fairly light, square-shaped and big enough to fit into her hands. One of them is, at least, and she has to push them together to keep all of them in check, until she throws them up in the air, and then with the aid of the Force, shoots them off somewhere over the field, trying to separate them as much as she can with her abilities. As it’s not all too easy, they’re still in and around the same area.

Vette focuses on them and follows their trajectory as much as she can in her head. She concentrates for several seconds while Kira plays around with the items, until she finally throws off three quick blasts. Two of them hit perfectly, but unfortunately, the last one is slightly off. The twi’lek bites her lip in regret, but with a second shot, the last one explodes as well.

Kira is quick to turn around, being the smug one this time.  
“Well well, not so perfect after all, was it?”

The twi’lek clicks her tongue for a moment and then sighs briefly.  
“Just a miscalculation, that’s all. I think it was something in the wind which blew it past my shot.”

She turns when hearing a snort from Kira as the human folds her arms.  
“Ooh, we’re using the wind excuse now, are we? You do realize I can control them against the wind as well, right?”

“Pretty sure I’ve seen you fail to control things before, so you’re not one to talk.”

Kira rolls her eyes, as Vette obviously thinking of larger objects.  
“Not when it comes to little tiny plastic things that weigh practically nothing.”

“Yeah, whatever.”  
Vette claps her hands quickly and then snaps her fingers pointed to the air.  
“C’mon, give me some more. This time, make it five and I promise I’ll get ‘em all in as many shots.”  
The smirk she brandishes is somewhat challenging.  
“Unless that’s too many at once for your pretty little head.”

Glaring for a short moment, Kira sighs and leans back down. She wants more of a challenge? Then that’s what she’ll get.  
Taking up as many as instructed, she soon throws them up in the air and tries to cast them all off from her location. It’s not always so much about holding them up, as just keeping them in the air, at least with several at once, meaning she has to give some of them just a nudge here and there. That does of course make the wind enter the equation, but she’s not gonna reveal that to Vette.  
The twi’lek focuses again for several seconds, trying to predict where they’ll go and then adds a little bit of luck into the mix. This time, she does come out the victor by keeping her promise, making five fairly precise shots fly off and blast the items from the air. That’s not to say they all flew off at the same time – the two last were slower than the others, but not enough to lose.

With a confident grin across her lips, Vette spins the pistol around in her hand and sends a wink over to Kira.  
“Told ya! It’s okay to get weak at the knees about that performance, being super impressive and all.”

While she’s still smiling, Kira folds her arms and tries to not appear all too glad that the twi’lek managed it. Fairly impressive, after all, but she’s not gonna admit to that.  
“Yeah yeah, you did it, big deal. I’ve seen better.”

“Don’t give me that, Carsen! C’mon, admit it now, that was some damn good shooting.”

She leans down again and grabs another item, a mischievous plan emerging in her head.  
“Okay, hotshot, if you’re so good, think you can do one more? This one is a lot trickier than the others.”

Setting the gun up for the shot already, Vette looks more confident than before.  
“Just one? That’s not even a challenge! Fine, if you wanna be amazed again, bring it.”

Kira smiles slyly and then sends the item up in the air, but instead of putting it on its usual trajectory, she directs it straight towards Vette. As it is only one, Kira has a fairly easy time to get its speed up, and as the twi’lek isn’t even ready for it, there’s no time to line up her shot. Instead of trying to, she dodges to the side, and the item hits the ground, breaking as it does.  
“What happened there, huh?”

With a frown and a pout across her lips, Vette stands up and glares angrily at Kira.  
“Hey, that wasn’t fair! You can’t throw it like that!”

Kira’s smirk widens and she places a hand on her hip while tilting her head.  
“I thought you said you could shoot anything? Didn’t feel so amazing, though.”

“That’s because you were cheating! The deal was to throw them at a distance, not at my face!”

“Hey, I just bent the rules, that’s all. Sometimes you gotta expect the unexpected.”  
She lifts a hand and strokes her chin while looking quite pleased with herself.  
“I think that’s actually something you said when you cheated at sabacc last time.”

Vette sighs and quickly holsters her gun.  
“That’s…that’s different! You can’t apply such logic to this!”

“They’re both games, aren’t they?”

Before any further protests arrive, they hear another voice coming from behind.  
“What are you two bickering about now?”

Both of them turn to see another human entering the clearing, wearing red clothes with a thin white coat on top. Compared to her partner, she has tan or light brown skin, and her shoulder-length hair is dark brown. On one of her shoulders, there’s a heavier backpack that she carries over to a blanket which is placed on the ground.  
Kira smiles at her and shrugs with a rather innocent expression.  
“We’re not bickering, Jaesa. Just having some fun.”

Vette points at her accusingly.  
“Not true! She cheated!”

Jaesa looks confused at them as she opens up the bag and place some things on the blanket.  
“At what?”

Kira tries to intervene to begin with.  
“We were just playing a game, that’s all, and Vette got upset that she couldn’t handle it.”

“Couldn’t handle it?!", Vette repeats loudly. "I can do it just fine, thank you, but this was supposed to be about accuracy, not dodging!”

“Wouldn’t some people argue that you gotta do both in a firefight?”

Vette rolls her eyes.  
“If you hadn’t noticed, we’re not in a warzone, we’re in an empty forest!”

Sighing briefly to herself, Jaesa attempts to get their attentions.  
“Please, calm down, both of you. Come over here and let’s get something to eat instead.”

While this is sort of a thing that they’ve always got going, and which is probably the only way that these two can ‘get along’, Jaesa manages to be a fairly adept mediator, who can stop most faux fights that they have.  
Once they join her on the blanket, they both try to please their calmer girlfriend by putting a quick kiss at one cheek each, something which does bring a gentle smile to Jaesa’s lips.  
“Sorry Jae, didn’t mean to upset you", Vette tells her.

Jaesa slowly shakes her head and hands a sandwich to each of them.  
“I’m not upset, I just think that we’re here to enjoy ourselves, that’s all.”

Vette places herself close to Jaesa’s legs in a half-sitting, half-lying position, while Kira sits down at Jaesa’s side, leaning slightly against her. This is the standard positions which they usually hang out in.  
As they begin to eat, Kira nods eagerly and faces Jaesa.  
“This is pretty good. Did you make these?”

The young Sith apprentice nods, but waits with a response until she has swallowed.  
“Yes, it’s fairly standard, but I made the bread and dressing on my own. I had 2V give me some pointers, though.”

She feels the gentle touch of a hand stroke against her leg, down from Vette’s location.  
“Well, you’re the best so I wouldn’t have expected anything less.”

Jaesa looks rather pleased, but doesn’t allow the praise to get to her head.  
For several minutes after this, they mostly sit together and enjoy the food as well as the close companionship of being out here. They don’t get a lot of opportunities like these, as they often have to attend missions or fights with their separate masters, but they won’t allow it to get in between the love they feel for one another. If they do, they’ll already have lost this fight.

Once they’re all done, Vette sits back up from her position and turns to look between the two humans. For a moment, there’s something playful in her eyes and both of them predict that something is up. The way she looks at Jaesa especially, makes the apprentice prepare herself. This won’t be good, will it?  
“So, uh, that was pretty nice, but...I think I’m still hungry, actually.”

That’s it? Not so bad after all.  
“Oh, well, I think I have a few more snacks in the bag, if you want some.”

The humans then witness as Vette smirks while gradually and suggestively stroking a hand up Jaesa’s leg. It brings some warmth to her cheeks.  
“Nah, I was thinking of something else, actually.”  
As she turns to gaze at Kira for a moment, it starts to dawn on the young Jedi too.  
“Hey, Kira, you want something else to bite on?”

Jaesa senses how another arm, this time from Kira, snakes around her waist.  
“Oh yeah, I think I could go for a sandwich.”

Looking far too pleased with herself, Vette wiggles her eyebrows.  
“How about a…Jaesandwich?”

Kira breaks out into laughter, while Jaesa doesn’t know whether to blush profusely or hit the twi’lek, so instead she places a hand against her own forehead.  
“Sometimes, I’m not sure why I put up with you two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I know it's not funny, and I feel kinda embarrassed for writing that last bit. Not enough to stop me from posting it, though._


	2. Unprofessional rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vette always has to do the flying, even on other people's ships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _There's two other characters mentioned in this one, who aren't actually in it - Zal'riva and Ktila. They're my Sith Warrior and Jedi Knight, both who are seen in "Among the faded tales". I think I've linked to it elsewhere, but you can find their profiles[here](http://creativebankruptcy.tumblr.com/swtor), if you wanna know who they are. Or read the story I guess, but that one is really long._

Bursting forth on a secure route through hyperspace, the Defender-class light corvette called ‘Shielded Path’, is still a few days from reaching its destination. For the most part, the small crew on board don’t need to keep all too much attention on the controlling instruments, as long as they don’t want to make any sudden alternations to their course. The autopilot can handle taking them forward and will signal them when they’re closing in on their destination.   
Despite this security, every now and then, Kira wants to sit by the pilot’s seat and make sure that everything works as it should. There’s a kind of inner comfort when she’s in control like this, seeing the different lights flickering across the buttons and getting the feel for the weight and energy of the ship itself. She’s not the best pilot in the galaxy, but she knows her stuff well enough.

“How’s it looking? We got much to go still or what?”

She’s interrupted from her thoughts by a voice from one of the other passengers. Glancing over her shoulder, she sees Vette walking onto the bridge, wearing a sleeveless white shirt with a pair of grey shorts. There’s also a set of thin black shoes protecting her feet from the cold of the metal here. The twi’lek is hardly dressed for combat, but they’ve not really been in that sort of situation these past few days anyway, as they’ve been going through hyperspace.  
“Mm, not that much. A day or two, maybe?”

Vette nods slightly, walking with her arms crossed, but unfolds them when she places herself in the co-pilot seat.  
“Good. Ktila and Zal are probably done with their stuff by now, I bet.”

These two, along with Jaesa and T7, were sent on an assignment together, while the two masters had to attend to something important. Kira had at first figured they just wanted to get away for a while, but there was a certain gravity to Ktila’s explanation, that made Kira doubt her own assumptions.  
Kira feels herself smiling when she sees how lazily Vette sits on the other seat, one leg flung up on some sort of control board.  
“Has Jaesa woken up yet?”

“Yeah, she went to do some meditation, though.”  
The two Force-sensitive humans usually meditate together, whenever they have the chance to be this close, but Kira isn’t all too much into it. Mostly, she just engages in it to do something which connects her to Jaesa, while she otherwise finds it fairly boring. Ktila has told her how important it is to keep a regular schedule for it, but who has time for that, when she can be doing so much else? Jaesa seems to be of the same opinion as Ktila, unfortunately.  
“You uh, sure you got everything under control here?”

Kira blinks for a moment, before shifting her eyes to Vette. The twi’lek is browsing through some of the information that runs across one of the screens nearby.  
“Yeah, pretty sure I do. Why?”

Vette shrugs slightly, not seeming all too concerned.  
“Nothing special. Just wondering if it’s too much for ya to handle.”

Of course she does. Kira feels how she starts to smirk and briefly shakes her head. While both of them have a gentler connection to Jaesa, the activities these two do without her usually involve notions of trying to find some way to tease the other. They’ve not been together for all too long as of yet, but Kira has come to accept this challenge, perhaps even enjoy it to some degree. It brings a different flavor, which she kind of delights in.  
“And why would you say that, huh? I’m a pretty good pilot, you know.”

Vette grimaces doubtfully, while tilting her head back and forth.  
“Well, I guess that depends who you ask. You’re not terrible, I suppose.”

Oh, here we go. If there’s one thing that Vette can be critical about, it’s other people’s way of piloting ships.  
“Pff, I’ve been flying this ship for a year or two now. I think I know what I’m doing.”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you know the basics. I’m just saying that a pro could make this baby rush forth with probably…I dunno, 20 or 30% more efficiency.”

Kira leans back in her chair and glances at Vette.  
“Are you saying you should be flying my ship?”

Vette faces her and it appears as if she’s struggling not to look all too smug. She raises her hands slightly.  
“Whoa now, did I say that? Don’t remember saying anything like that.”

“You implied it.”

“I implied that I might be able to do it more smoothly, that’s all. Besides, pretty sure this is Ktila’s ship, not yours.”

Kira snorts and shakes her head amusedly.  
“Under any circumstances?”

“Yup. I’ve got all sorts of experience, more than you do, I’m sure, so I feel pretty confident when I say that I could deal with anything.”

At first, she thinks about just dismissing the twi’lek and getting on with her task. But then again, she wants to have fun too and with such a bold claim, it’s probably best to test it.  
“You know what? Go ahead.”  
She leans forward and makes a few swift alterations on the controls.  
“You take over for a while.”

Vette actually looks somewhat surprised when Kira agrees so easily.  
“What, you’re serious?”

“Mhm. You think you can take us there faster? Then let’s see you do it.”

Putting her hands together and stretching her fingers, Vette wiggles her eyebrows and sits up straighter.  
“Alright, buckle up then, beautiful! Time to watch a pro in action.”  
Kira isn’t sure how much Vette can actually make the ship go faster, or more efficiently, but she’s not really interested in that anyway. This is merely part of the plan to mess with one of her girlfriends.  
As Vette gets to work, she has lost her focus on what Kira is doing, meaning she doesn’t notice when the Jedi comes around the chair and places herself right in the twi’lek’s lap, while correcting her robes at the same time.  
Vette blinks for a moment and has to lean back against the chair.  
“…hey! What are you doing?!”

With a satisfied smirk, Kira leans closer to Vette and places an arm around the back of her neck.  
“Testing your abilities, that’s all. You said you could deal with any sort of condition. Pretty sure this won’t be a problem for a pro, right?”

Vette appears confused at first, but soon spreads her arms slightly, indicating the area.  
“But you’re in my way! How am I supposed to see what I’m doing?”

Kira places one hand on Vette’s cheek and then pushes her lips towards the other, putting a few soft kisses along its length.  
“Figure it out.”

The kisses don’t stop there, and Vette closes her eyes while she sighs. She did perhaps get herself into this situation, and should’ve been prepared for mischief. She’s usually the one who performs it, though!  
“You thought this was pretty clever, didn’t you?”

“Someone’s gotta take you down a notch, every now and then.”  
Kira looks fairly self-satisfied as she says it, but soon twitches when she feels Vette pinching her thigh.  
“Hey!”

For a moment, it appears as if Vette is about to give up, but then she lifts a hand to grab Kira’s chin, pulling the Jedi down into a quick but firm kiss. Can’t stop her this easily.  
With one hand placed at Kira’s side, Vette tilts her head slightly to see what instruments and controls she can reach with her free hand.  
“Alright, gorgeous, prepare to be impressed.”

Kira smiles wryly as she places her head on Vette’s shoulder. It’s a bit of an awkward position, but she enjoys it all the same.


	3. Bringing them home

On the imperial world of Bosthirda, within one of its largest cities called Vedjang, three women make their way past many of the tall buildings and structures inside the well-populated settlement. Most of the way here from the spaceport, they went with an aerial taxi, but as one of them insisted that they walk the last bit to their destination, in order to get some time to mentally prepare, their progress has been slowed somewhat.  
It’s afternoon right now, but the sun still shines upon the city for the time being. Compared to worlds like Dromund Kaas, Bosthirda offers some more temperate climates, even though it may mostly be known for its many mountainous regions. It does see a lot of traffic in terms of trade and troop movement, and as it is located along the important hyperlane Kamat Krote, non-imperial visitors arrive here quite often too. Not Republic ones, of course, except perhaps those who manage to effectively disguise themselves.

One of those who normally wouldn’t be welcome, is among the three women who now enters a large residential facility and move towards the elevator. Kira has been fussing over her clothes for quite a while now and it continues even as they enter the elevator. Vette and Jaesa have both tried to be polite and not mention it, although the apprentice is feeling somewhat concerned.  
As they have begun to ascend, Kira gives up and sighs gently.  
“Okay, I want you to be honest now; are you sure this looks fine? I mean, isn’t it kinda…tacky?”

Jaesa blinks and turns to face Kira.  
“What do you mean?”  
Both of them are in rather high quality robes, although of different colors. They’ve sort of tried to match each other, but remain opposites; they’ve gone for layers of grey and brown, but while Jaesa mixes that with red, Kira wears dark blue. The implications should be obvious, but it was Vette who suggested it and Jaesa thought it was fine.

Vette is leaning against one of the walls with her arms folded and smirks a little.  
“You’re nervous, aren’t you?”

Kira’s shoulders slumps and while she scowls, she looks quite miserable as well.  
“Of course I am. I’ve never done this…’meet their parents’ thing before. I’m not used to it.”

The reason they’re on Bosthirda is to meet with Jaesa’s parents, Gregor and Parvin, which Zal’riva ‘liberated’ from Alderaan quite a while ago now - perhaps a year or so - and while they were previously under Baras’ care, they soon came under Zal’s protection afterwards. She made sure they got a place away from Dromund Kaas to stay on and as they’re technically part of her powerbase now, they can live rather well.  
They’ve also gotten the chance to speak with Jaesa ever since she joined the Empire, and while she rarely comes for a visit, they still share holocalls every now and then.  
She has wanted to visit them for quite some time, and as all three of them managed to get some time off, this seemed like the perfect opportunity, although Kira hasn’t shared the enthusiasm.

Jaesa steps a bit closer, moving her hand towards Kira’s.  
“There’s nothing to worry about, Kira. My parents aren’t judgmental.”

“Are you sure? Ever brought a girlfriend home before?”  
  
Jaesa hesitates.  
“Well, erm…no, I guess not but-“

“Yeah, and look at you now – bringing home not just one, but two of us!”

While Jaesa sighs softly, Vette still stands there with a bit of a smug gaze.  
“Guess it might be tough for ya, but at least they’ll love me.”

Kira shifts her side over to the twi’lek and arches an eyebrow.  
“Why do you sound so damn certain of that?”

“Uh, because I helped save them last time? I was there when Zal took them away from the Republic. It was quite an intense meeting, but she handled it. Well, I gave her some pointers too.”  
Not entirely accurate, but Zal isn’t here to protest.

Jaesa appears amused at this and shakes her head.  
“Don’t you mean that you kidnapped them? I mean, they were under the care of both Alderaanian forces and Jedi.”

“Nuh-uh! We saved ‘em from Baras, remember? Had Zal not intervened, he probably would’ve tortured them.”

The apprentice seems to consider this and then nods in agreement.  
“I see your point. Alright, you did do some saving then, I guess.”

Kira shuts her eyes and shakes her head.  
“Great, so you’re gonna be the one they love, while I get all the scrutiny for being new.”

Vette shows a faint grin.  
“Yep! Or well, maybe. Can’t say for sure how they’ll react, I guess.”

They hear another exhale from Jaesa as she peers at Kira.  
“Don’t just assume that this will be the case. My parents aren’t the way you’re imagining, Kira. They’re nice and caring people.”

“Well, isn’t that the problem? They care so much for you and here we come, stealing your heart away. Especially me, not even being Imperial…”

“Kira, they’re not diehard Imperials. They’ve been Alderaanian citizens, remember?”

The Jedi peers at Jaesa, but it doesn’t seem to cheer up. It’s unusual for them to see her like this, but perhaps the circumstances warrant it.  
“Right, so they’ll be reminded by the worse life they had in the Republic. That’s just fantastic. You know what? Maybe I shouldn’t even come here. It’d just be-“

Her words are cut short when Jaesa grasps her hand a bit tighter and pulls her close. Jaesa’s other hand is raised towards Kira’s cheek and she leans in to lock their lips together in a firm kiss. Whatever protests or pessimistic thoughts Kira felt flowing through her mind, quickly evaporate and she returns the loving motion. Vette watches them in amusement and snickers to herself.  
Eventually, they break the kiss, even if Kira would rather linger in it. Jaesa moves the hand from her cheek and corrects some of the Jedi’s bangs with a smile.  
“You don’t need to worry, Kira. You look amazing and I know what a great person you are. They’ll see how I feel about being with both of you and that will be all that matters. Trust me.”

Kira stands in silence for a few moments, watching the eyes of her beloved and tries to find some kind of uncertainty, but there appears to be none. The ray of joy surging from Jaesa infects her somewhat and Kira eventually breaks into a faint smile of her own. She leans forward to place her forehead gently against Jaesa’s.  
“Okay, maybe…maybe you’re right. I guess I’ll try to stay positive and hope for the best.”

“Mm, I’m glad to hear it.”  
Jaesa turns her eyes sideways towards Vette, who’s obviously watching them as well.  
“Vette, come say something nice to her as well.”

Always trying to be the unifier, but that may be why they both like her so much. While Vette prefers to think of something to tease Kira further, she decides to oblige them for now. In contrast to the two humans, Vette is dressed in a suit of white and black colors, although it remains open. With a smirk, she steps up to their sides and wraps one arm each around their waists.  
“Well, what can I say? You both look great in these robes. Maybe a little too good, actually. Dunno if I’ll be able to keep my eyes off you.”

Kira slowly tilts her head away from Jaesa’s and surveys Vette. The twi’lek isn’t much shorter, but enough for there to be a cause to gaze down. Vette manages to have a positive effect as well, as Kira’s smile turns wry.  
“Watch out so I don’t flick your nose.”

Vette flashes another grin and then snaps her teeth playfully in the air.  
“Can be dangerous, you know. Might bite ya.”

The two of them leans closer towards each other and Jaesa starts to giggle when they nudge their noses against each other, mostly to tease. Before they manage to continue any further, the doors finally open to the correct level.  
  


* * *

  
As the doors to the apartment opens up, and the three step inside, Jaesa joins her parents in a tight embrace just past the entrance. Both her mother and father are smiling widely, and Gregor gently strokes a hand at the back of her head.  
“It’s good to see you again, my dear.”

Parvin nods in agreement, as she plants a quick kiss on her daughter’s cheek.  
“Indeed, you come here far too rarely.”

While Jaesa diverts her eyes, and feels a bit guilty, she still smiles as well.  
“I know, and I’ve wanted to come here earlier, but I just have so much to do right now.”

As they separate, she notices that both of them are rather casually dressed, probably not wanting to make all too much of a big deal out of this. Gregor glances at her and then also at the ones further behind.  
“Of course, we wouldn’t really have expected anything else. We simply wish that the war wouldn’t force you so far away. But let us not focus on that now.”

Her mother puts her hands together and shifts her eyes to the other two as well.  
“Yes, we see you’ve brought two guests with you.”

Stepping slightly to the side, Jaesa smiles as she gestures with a hand.  
“You remember that I mentioned I’d met someone? Well, I…probably should’ve used a word with plural instead.”

Kira and Vette steps forward, and while the Jedi still looks somewhat nervous, Vette smiles politely at them in a much more confident way. Gregor blinks when he sees Vette in a different light.  
“Oh, hold on, I recognize you. If I’m not mistaken, you were at Alderaan, yes?”

A bit of a grin spreads over her lips.  
“Yep! Glad you remember. I mean, that was kind of long ago now.”

“Indeed it was, but it’s hard to forget that day. Jaesa have also mentioned you once or twice, I believe. Vette, is it?”

Vette glances slightly at Jaesa.  
“She has, huh? Only good things, I hope.”

Jaesa doesn’t try to give anything away by her expression, but her mother nods reassuringly.  
“Yes, of course, she has spoken rather highly of you, as I recall. Said you were a pretty good pilot.”

“Pretty good?”  
Vette now starts to smirk when she places her hands on her hips.  
“I’m the best!”

Jaesa’s own smile looks somewhat smug as well.  
“I think some people might argue with that, but you’re one of the best I’ve ever flown with, at least.”

Kira coughs instead.  
“Yeah, I’ve seen better.”

Vette elbows her briefly.  
“Shut up, you.”

Once Kira speaks, she also gains the attention of the parents, who gaze upon her with far less recognition. Parvin offers her a friendly expression as well, however.  
“And who might you be then?”

Kira prepares herself, gathering her strength and will, but hesitates at first. It’s not until Vette puts a hand behind her back and pushes her forward, that she finally concedes and bows her head respectfully.  
“Greetings, my name is Kira Carsen.”

As she doesn’t appear to want to elaborate, Vette folds her arms and continues.  
“She’s a Jedi Knight.”

Both parents widen their eyes and simultaneously, also shifts over to Jaesa in surprise.  
“Oh, eh…well, that’s-“

Jaesa rolls her eyes, as of course Vette would intervene without really explaining.  
“Don’t worry, we’re not enemies and I haven’t really tried to get involved with the Jedi. Well, other than Kira and her master, of course.”

Kira nods quickly as well, trying to help dissolve the situation.  
“And I’m here with Jaesa as…well, erm, as someone who cares for her. I would never do anything to harm her.”

Gregor takes the time to glance between all three of them, one a time.  
“Wait, what you said before…you mean all three of you are together?”

While Vette and Kira want to respond, their eyes also turn expectantly to Jaesa. Apparently, everyone feels much safer with her confirming it, and she doesn’t mind obliging them. She’s far from embarrassed by this anymore.  
“Yes, that’s right. Vette and Kira are both my partners. Or uh, girlfriends.”

“Lovers works too.”  
Vette winks in Jaesa’s direction and she smiles gently in response, while moving a hand over to Vette’s.

“Yeah, although I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong kind of impression.”

Upon hearing this, Parvin makes sure to inspect the other two women further, surveying them for a moment, which does unnerve Kira a little bit. It doesn’t appear she has anything critical to say, however.  
“Well, I don’t think this is quite what we expected, even with the sort of people you are, but it doesn’t really matter. We’re very glad to meet you both and you’re welcome into our home.”

Gregor offers a friendly smile of his own.  
“Indeed. Anyone who Jaesa loves and cares for is someone we’d be glad to meet and get acquainted with.”

“I believe we do have a lot to talk about, though. There’s so much we want to know about you, and how you met our dear girl.”

Kira and Vette shares a knowing look, and Kira manages to mostly reign herself in at the thought of past events, while Vette wraps an arm around her.  
“Oh, I’m sure we can tell you all about that", says the twi'lek. "It’s a great story, I promise you!”

Jaesa’s parents appear rather fascinated and Parvin gestures behind her.  
“Well, shall we discuss it over dinner?”


	4. Unruly mountains

The civil war still wages within the lands of Alderaan, where different noble houses vie for power, and as the grudges are hard to settle, it appears as if it will continue for quite a while longer. It’s difficult to find a lot of safe spots for outsiders to land, depending of course on what allegiances they hold. There are a few ports which remain neutral, however, and it’s among one of those that Kira, Jaesa and Vette set down as they approached the planet. Not long after, they rented an airspeeder and took off towards some nearby mountains. Jaesa had suggested they should attempt to climb it instead, but the two others were fairly adamant on working against such a plan. They’ve had quite enough of that for the foreseeable future.

Having packed enough supplies and gear to last them for a few days, they drove up to some cliffs on the outskirts of the nearby neutral city and paused for a while. The initial idea was to head towards Organa territory, but the risk of running into people that might know of Jaesa and her current allegiances would make such a trip too dangerous. For now, they’ll settle for simply having the ability to stay on Alderaan.  
They do decide to wander for a little bit at least, as they don’t actually have to do a lot of climbing. This gives them the opportunity to find a grassy area with quite a good view of some ravines below.

Jaesa stands silently as she watches the greenery around them and the bright sun illuminating it all. Quite far away, she can spot even taller mountainous regions with snowy tops, large pools of water from the lakes and vast green forests. Her homeworld has a lot of beauty, but she isn’t sure how she feels about returning here again, especially not during the current situation.

While Vette starts to prepare some things up on the grass for them to rest upon, Kira wanders over to Jaesa’s side, gently slipping her fingers around the Sith’s hand. The hair on both women dances in the pleasant wind that embraces them.  
“Well, guess you never had to worry about scenery in your youth, huh?”

Jaesa smiles at the touch and grasps the other hand softly, but turns solemn soon again.  
“Yeah. It’s always been very pretty.”

Kira nods in agreement, but mostly watches Jaesa for now. She tends to focus on the important things.  
“Not happy to be home again?”  
The idea to come here was in fact Kira’s. After the success of meeting Jaesa’s parents, Kira really wanted to go further back into her beloved’s past and see what other things they might find. Not that this is the exact place of Jaesa’s childhood, but it’s a whole lot closer than Coruscant, Dromund Kaas or some similar worlds would be.

Jaesa offers a gentle smile and then shrugs.  
“I can’t honestly say that this is my home any more than Tython or Dromund Kaas is. I guess home is where I make it.”

It’s a fair point, but Kira doesn’t like to think she might’ve pushed this too hard.  
“Yeah, I guess that’s true but, uh…you still grew up here, right?”

“Not this region specifically.”

“Of course, I know that, but I mean this is still Alderaan, so…”  
She emits a sigh soon after.  
“I hope you don’t hate this place or something like that.”

Jaesa blinks for a moment, then turns to gaze at Kira. She can see that the Jedi looks somewhat guilty, but it’s not really what she wants. Jaesa lifts a hand to stroke it across Kira’s cheek.  
“It’s okay, you don’t have to feel bad about anything. Your intentions were kind and it’s nice to be back here.”

Kira relishes the touch and leans further in towards the hand as they lock their eyes together.  
“You’ve been kinda silent since we got here, though.”

Tilting her head slightly, Jaesa peers out over the scenery.  
“I’ve just tried to search my feelings and see what I can dig up. I thoroughly remember climbing areas like these. Well, perhaps not this far up.  
However, the reason for doing so, was often to escape something. The life offered to me and my parents here wasn’t really the very best. We were still servants in some way and could make few choices for ourselves. It was expected that I would take certain turns in my life, to make it better for them and for myself – until my Force sensitivity freed me from all of that.”

Kira listens with care and nods in thought.  
“Doesn’t sound like the best life you could’ve had.”

She angles her head back and then shakes it briefly.  
“It wasn’t, but I’m not saying it was any worse than you had, of course.”

Kira gently bumps their shoulders together and smiles reassuringly.  
“Don’t worry, I didn’t think you were either. Doesn’t mean yours was easy, though.”

“Mm, probably not. I suppose I did learn some valuable lessons of life and what fate has in store for us, but I don’t think I actually long for this world specifically.”

“It’s still quite a pretty one, though.”

“Sure, it is, but there are a lot of others like this out there too and I’d love to see what the galaxy has to offer.”

Before Kira manages to respond, she feels how something light hits the back of her head and she arches an eyebrow while shifting her gaze around to the blanket on the grass. She can see Vette sitting there, leaning back, but also watching them in amusement.  
“If you two are done watching trees, maybe we should get to eating something. Haven’t had anything all day and we didn’t buy food back in the city for no reason.”

Jaesa giggles in response, while Kira smirks and shakes her head in disbelief of how easily Vette dismantles a serious situation. Perhaps it’s a talent for times like these.  
“Yeah yeah, okay, we’re coming.”

The three do eventually sit down together and grab their portable meals. It doesn’t mean they stop watching the lands ahead of them, but at least get something to distract them from drearier times. In between bites, Vette angles her head and glances up at the sky.  
“You know, it’s kinda weird that all these nobles are still fighting over this place.”

Kira watches her curiously, wondering what she might be up to now.  
“What’s so weird about it?”

“Well, isn’t the big bad guy technically defeated? Ulgo something.”

“Sure, but it’s not like he was ever the only one, right? There’s still the Empire and all that.”  
Vette smiles wryly and lifts a foot to poke at Kira’s side, which tickles a bit.  
“Hey!”

“You’re sitting with two imps right here, little Jedi, don’t forget that.”

Kira snorts and pushes the foot away with her elbow.  
“You’re not exactly the typical imperial, though, and as far as I know, neither of you are that loyal to it.”

Vette considers it and shrugs.  
“Maybe not.”

Jaesa glances in between them, thinking of her own path.  
“I think we both share a wish to change the Empire, though, which is why we stay in it.”

“Yeah, true enough, but I still don’t see the whole reason for fighting on a place like this. I’ve seen some pretty worlds, but Alderaan is probably a paradise to some people. Their war is just gonna sully it, while they could just agree to share it.”

Jaesa nods slowly, but is all too aware of how the politics work here.  
“It doesn’t have so much to do with wanting to share the world, but who believes they can rule it the most. On top of that, the leading houses have allegiances to the war on the outside too, so everyone wants to take the throne. Not to forget that Alderaanians are notorious for holding onto grudges, and the slightest hostile notion can spark another conflict.”

Vette sighs and knows that Jaesa is right, even if she hasn’t been taught as much about how this world operates. She has seen enough to understand, at least.  
“You’re right and it’s stupid. None of them really consider all the people who're suffering on the bottom either. To them, it won’t matter who wins – they’ll still be ruled by someone who’s pretty much faceless either way.”

The words silences both of the other women momentarily, especially as they know from what sort of background Vette comes from.  
“Perhaps…you’re right there as well", Jaesa agrees. "Unfortunately, I doubt either side will have a satisfactory answer.”

Vette shakes her head and then turns to face Kira.  
“Maybe we should teach them how easy sharing is.”  
She lifts her fork and pokes it right into the plastic box with food that Kira is holding and grabs some of the contents for herself to eat. She waits a few moments to speak, with some food still in her mouth.  
“See? No problem at all.”

Kira glances down at her meal, then over at Vette with a smirk.  
“Uh, don’t you have your own food?”

Jaesa giggles as she watches how Vette leans over to plant a quick kiss on Kira’s cheek.  
“Yeah, but I like yours too. Besides, we’re together and we’re sharing.”

Soon enough, both of them are trying to steal a bit of each other’s food, with Jaesa joining in on it, of course.


	5. Liberation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _No Kira in this one, but I've got some Ashara instead._

For a short while now, Ashara Zavros has been working tirelessly in the Imperial Citadel at the side of her master. Darth Imperius has been trying to implement a lot of changes into the structure of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge and Ash has done her best to aid her master. She knows how important it will be and the opportunities they can get, to achieve what it is that Ash wants most of all – to see a change in the Empire. Thankfully, Imperius wishes the same thing and while they both realize the difficulty of the task, neither of them is willing to surrender. They’ve come this far already, so why stop?

That said, her time spent in the Citadel is often far from easy. Because of her presence as a non-human, many imperials watch her with suspicion. Allowing aliens to become Sith is still a fairly recent change and they also have a lot of difficulties being admitted into the wider imperial society, especially the military. On top of this, Ash loses even further trust by being a former Jedi, and one who hasn’t exactly shown a wish to adhere to many of the Sith ideals. She attempts to be strict at times, showing her determination, but she’s still unwilling to take it all too far.  
Just as much as many don’t trust her, she feels the same about most of those around her, except for Imperius and her crew. Ash was never the best at making friends in the Republic and that has far from improved in the Empire.

As she’s striding through the corridors of the Citadel this day, concentrated as always upon what her next task is, she wasn’t ready for that someone would be calling out her name, and eagerly so.  
“There she is! Ashara!”

She stops in her tracks and glances over her shoulder. Two friendly figures come walking towards her in a brisk pace.  
“Vette? Jaesa?”  
She may not have many other associates than her crew, but perhaps this duo can be seen as something close to friends. They have spoken on a few occasions and get along quite well, after all.

Both of them stop not all too far from her and Vette places hands at her own hips.  
“Hey there, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Jaesa moves her hands together in front of herself and displays a gentle smile.  
“It’s very nice to see you again, Ashara.”

Ash surveys them both and then inclines her head with some respect. She speaks more evenly than both, however.  
“It has indeed. It is a pleasant surprise for me as well, but I thought you both would be elsewhere, with Lord Wrath. What brings you to the Citadel?”

Vette smirks and shrugs slightly.  
“Oh, you know, this and that.”

Ash arches an inquisitive eyebrow while Jaesa clears her throat.  
“Actually, master Zal’riva allowed us to come here. We have…sort of an assignment.”

“…sort of?”

Vette nods sharply, giving the area around them a quick glance.  
“Mhm, gotta do some stuff that she didn’t have time for. We were looking for you, actually.”

“Me? I see. I…do have a lot of tasks of my own right now, thou-“

“Don’t worry! We won’t take all too much of your time, but it is quite important.”

Jaesa shows her agreement and takes a few steps closer to Ash.  
“We were wondering if it would be possible for you to speak with us…in private.”

This feels even weirder now and she glances between the pair, somewhat suspiciously. What are they up to?  
“I suppose so, yes. Is it that important?”

“Yes, and we think you will be very interested in hearing about it as well.”

Ash briefly glances down at her datapad, knowing she’s got some important messages to send very soon that she’d rather get to. However, these two are…sort of her friends, some of the only ones in the Empire. Shouldn’t she spare at least a little bit of time for them?  
“Very well, I think I can arrange an area for us to speak. Follow me.”

They both look at each other eagerly, but Ash doesn’t comment on it, instead leading them onwards.  
She takes them towards the most secure place she can think of in the building that she can access, which would be her master’s quarters. Valcera won’t mind anyway. Probably.  
Outside of the area, she can see the familiar sight of a female human with dark brown skin and black hair, cut rather short. Ensign Francine Daimort is working hard as usual, having been eager to show her capabilities after she was assigned as Valcera’s assistant. She has also been very friendly so far, which makes her and Ash’s relationship easier to work with.  
Francine turns her eyes up when they come closer and displays a small smile.  
“Ah, greetings, my lord. Can I do something for you?”

The usage of such a title is something Ash is still trying to adapt to. It makes her feel…uncomfortable, even though she knows imperials are just using it because that’s how they’re told to address Sith.  
“Good morning, Ensign. I need to enter master Valcera’s office.”

Her expression gets somewhat more serious, but she nods curtly.  
“I see. Darth Imperius is currently away on business, though.”

“I know, but I require access to her office regardless. I need something from within.”

“Very well. Darth Imperius has told me to never keep you out, so I will not stop you.”  
She glances sideways at the two women behind Ash.  
“However, I must ask about your…companions first. If you intend to enter with them, that is.”

Ash steps aside to reveal them a bit further.  
“That was my intention, yes. These two are companions of the Emperor’s Wrath. This is Vette, one of Lord Wrath’s pilots and the other is Jaesa Willsaam, her apprentice.”

Francine gasps slightly and then rises swiftly to bow in front of Jaesa.  
“Oh! M-my apologies, my lord. I uh, I did not recognize you.”

Ash can see how Jaesa also shows some minor signs of being uncomfortable when dealing with such subservient manners. She merely smiles and waves dismissively.  
“I accept your apology, Ensign. It’s rare for me to be recognized anyhow. Most are more used to my master. Me and my companion here would appreciate being let inside, however.”

“Yes, of course! If you are acquaintances of Lord Zavros, I am sure that Darth Imperius would have no complaints.”

Vette smirks and tilts her head.  
“We know the Darth herself too, actually. She’s a funny lady.”

Jaesa coughs awkwardly, while Ash simply shakes her head. Francine doesn’t comment, however, and merely pushes a button to let the doors slide open.  
“Here you go, my lord. Please contact me from within if there is anything else that I can help you with.”

Ash shows Francine a grateful nod.  
“Thank you, Ensign.”

She then strides inside, the other two following her closely. The newcomers obviously look around with interest, and Vette slightly arches an eyebrow.  
“Well, this is a curious place.”

The walls have a mishmash of colors in an abstract form, which probably is supposed to look artistic.  
“Master Valcera chose it herself not too long ago. She wanted to have it designed to be…unique.”

“Well, uh, it certainly is, as far as I’ve seen. Not sure if I should be impressed or frightened.”

Jaesa smiles wryly, shakes her head and then turns to make sure that the door is closed, before she gazes at Ash.  
“Perhaps we should tell you why we’re really here now.”

They stop in the middle of the room and Ash folds her arms.  
“I think that would be preferable, yes.”

“Master Zal’riva didn’t so much send us here as…well, give us permission.”

“To do what?”

Jaesa hesitates briefly, trying to think of a way that doesn’t make it all too obvious. Even in here, one can’t be sure if someone is listening.  
“We are here to…survey certain systems. My master has granted us the access codes we need to check these areas, but we don’t know the exact location of the files we’re after.”

“I see. Could you be a little bit more specific?”

She sighs, sharing a look with Vette.  
“In a way. We’re after a certain subset of transports, carrying goods.”

Ashara tilts her head skeptically.  
“That is a rather wide category.”

Vette scowls and seems a lot more serious for a moment.  
“Then we could narrow it down to ‘transports carrying _live_ cargo’.”

At first, Ash isn’t sure what that could mean either. Are they after animals? Pets? Food transports? She can’t see why that-  
…oh wait. She needs to remember that she’s in the Empire.  
It is easy to see how it dawns upon Ash and she studies them with a lot more interest.  
“That is…a dangerous assignment which you’ve given yourselves.”

“Maybe, but we've gone far enough as it is. We intend to find a way to relinquish the cargo from these transports.”

Jaesa takes a few steps closer.  
“We don’t want to force you into this, Ashara, but we would appreciate any help that you can give us. We know that this sort of task…might concern you as well.”

There’s no doubt in her mind now that she wishes to aid them and with a quick nod, she’s already approaching one of the terminals to the side.  
“You’re right, of course. Do you intend to intercept these transports in person?”

“…yes.”

“Very well, then you shall need all the information you can get. I can possibly obtain manifests through master Valcera’s access codes too. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind during these circumstances.”  
In fact, it’s likely that she would endorse it. She has no love for the vast system of slavery that the Empire employs, especially after growing up in it.  
“Actually, it would be prudent if we spoke to Ensign Daimort as well. She used to work as an administrator in the Sphere of Logistics and Production. If anyone knows their systems well, it should be her.”

Ash doesn’t wait for them to respond as she has already jumped to action and moves towards the door to speak with the assistant. While she walks, however, Jaesa gazes at Vette with a satisfied expression, slipping a hand around the twi’lek’s affectionately and whispers.  
“I told you that this would work.”

Vette smirks in response and shrugs briefly.  
“I never specifically said that I doubted it.”

“You implied that you did.”

“Tsk.”

They’re not all too quiet, though, and Ash stops before she exits the door, raising an eyebrow suspiciously as she turns back to them.  
“…did you two make some kind of bet whether I would agree or not?”

The two women peers at one another and while Vette clears her throat, Jaesa smiles apologetically.  
“Oh no, nothing like that. There were just some…uncertainties.”

Vette shows her agreement while she leans slightly against Jaesa.  
“We hadn’t seen you in a little while and I wasn’t sure if this was too big of a favor to ask of you, that’s all.”

Ash looks at them with a thoughtful gaze, seeing and mostly feeling the honesty as well. It would be a lot to ask, for anyone else. The level of danger which surrounds this could have a major impact on both Ash and her master, if word got out. That is just the kind of danger she’s ready to face, however.  
“Then let me assure you that you can always count on me in these types of situations. You have my word.”

With the certainty of her tone, it gives them no doubt that she is as ready as they are. Jaesa smiles brightly in response.  
“Thank you, Ashara. It means a lot to us.”

Vette grins somewhat.  
“I guess that’s what friends are for, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I had wanted to write some chapter in another fic dedicated to show that Vette and Jaesa try to take more direct actions against slavery when they can, but I didn't know where else to put it. This is a fic dedicated to the three of them and not just romance, so I suppose it works._   
>  _I also just wanted some chapter where it shows their friendship with Ashara. I think she'll return here sometime again._


	6. Magnitude of trepidation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I didn't mention it last time but, in this chapter I've got Kira but not the other two. Instead, I offer a chat with another Jedi._

Another shuttle enters the atmosphere of Tython, coming in for a smooth and undisturbed landing on the outskirts of the Jedi training grounds. The sun shines brightly this day and there is only a mild breeze in the air, enough to almost make one forget that there is still a war out in the galaxy. It has yet to arrive on this world, but those who live within these mountains and forests are rather certain that it eventually will. It does seem inevitable, with how quickly the conflicts are expanding.

For the time being, though, Tython remains a tranquil and relaxing location, which has attracted some non-Jedi here in search for a place to stay or hide, at least for a while.  
Kira stands by one of the railings on a platform, not too far away from the landing pads, watching the shuttles as well as the nearby lake below in thought.  
For those who know her intimately, it is not difficult to comprehend what’s on her mind. She will admit that Jaesa and Vette have been occupying her thoughts a lot more lately, whenever they’re away from each other. Part of her feels bad for missing them this much, knowing that the Jedi teaches their members to not embrace attachment. But how can she not? She has come to understand love on an intricate level and realizes how much she cares for it. These emotions are part of her now and they do make her stronger…even as she feels herself growing distracted in their absence.

She’s actually so out of it, that she does not react to someone running her way until hearing a voice calling out in excitement.  
“Kira, it _is_ you!”

Turning to the side, she widens her eyes as she comes face to face with another young female Jedi, having a grin on her lips. Nadia doesn’t stop and lifts her arms to throw them around Kira’s neck and she almost loses her balance at how eager the gesture is. Luckily, the steel railings are enough to support them.  
“Whoa! That was close. I don’t mind hugs, but I’d rather not be knocked to the floor while receiving them.”

Nadia giggles briefly, before leaning back a bit.  
“Sorry! I’m just so happy to see a friendly face.”

Kira begins to smile now. The two of them first befriended each other after Nadia had joined under the tutelage of the Barsen’thor, a miraluka called Iron’zeranz, and after the two of them had apparently ran into Zal'riva and Jaesa on Voss. For whatever reason, Jaesa had suggested that Nadia look Kira up. Perhaps she should be thankful, as it turned out that they got along rather well, and still do.  
“Not anyone fun at the temple then?”

“Well…you know how they are.”

Indeed, she does, as they're of a similar mindset. Kira always feels rather comfortable in Nadia’s presence, seeing as how they both don’t mind expressing and accepting their emotions, rather than completely controlling or suppressing them. As Kira usually only has Ktila among the other Jedi for that, it is nice to meet someone like Nadia.  
“Heh, I suppose so, yeah.”

“What are you doing here anyway? I was told you’d be out fighting at this time.”

“Mm, I’m supposed to be, but not for a few more days. I got a bit of time off and thought it might be good to come here.”

As their eyes drift out towards the lake, Nadia nods slightly.  
“Tython is a useful place to relax, yeah. I mean, when you’re not an initiate.”

Kira is somewhat more familiar with what that was like, but Nadia does still have to spend time in training, as she been a padawan for less than a year.  
“True, but also a good place to, you know, think.”

Nadia tilts her head curiously, but doesn’t inquire what exactly is on Kira’s mind. Perhaps she somehow understands.  
“Is master Ktila with you?”

Kira arches one of her eyebrows as her lips curl into a smirk.  
“Eh, no. Despite what you may believe, I don’t follow her around constantly.”

Nadia smiles and shakes her head.  
“I know, I know and I didn’t mean to imply you do either. Just that…well, you two do live together, right?”

Do they really have permanent residences? Can the Shielded Path actually be called a ‘home’?  
Kira shrugs in response.  
“I guess that’s true enough, yeah. That’s why we occasionally try to get some time apart like this.”

“I see. Well, does that mean you’re free to do whatever you want right now?”

“Pretty much. For as long as my stay lasts, anyway.”

Nadia slides her arms closer onto the railing and lifts a hand to poke against Kira’s arm.  
“Do you intend to just slack all the time while you’re here?”

She is supposed to relax, but the playfulness in Nadia’s tone does get to her somewhat.  
“Isn’t that what R&R is all about?”

“Maybe, but…wouldn’t you rather spend some time with a good friend than be all alone here?”

Kira chuckles, understanding what suggestion may arrive soon enough.  
“You’re talking about yourself, I assume.”

“Of course!”

“Well, I guess it’s not the best use of my freedom to always be alone. Do you have something in mind for us to do?”

Raising one of her hands, Nadia points out towards the shore of the lake, and Kira spots a pile of long and thick iron poles lying on the grass.  
“I have been asked to fasten those poles into the lake, in order to create a simple but still challenging training course for the initiates.”

That wasn’t quite what she had anticipated.  
“Wait, so…your idea of spending time together while I’m trying to relax, is to do work?”  
  
Nadia clears her throat and fidgets with her hands.  
“Erm, well, see it as…doing something nice for your friend! I’ll pay it back later too, I promise!”

Kira sighs at first and then smirks once more. Of course she’s going to do this, although mostly for her own sake. At least it’ll put her mind off her true desires.  
Turning back to Nadia, Kira pokes a few fingers in along her side, finding a spot which tickles the padawan.  
“You’re damn right you will. I don’t tend to help someone do their work for them out of charity! Even for a friend.”

Nadia snickers and steps out of range, before circling around to lead the way.  
“You won’t regret this, I swear! Besides, now you can feel like you’re pitching in for the Jedi’s efforts here too.”

“Pff, I do more work than almost everyone here, dammit!”

After a few minutes of walking, they eventually reach the shoreline and begin the process of using the Force to move the poles into the water. They take it easy for now, knowing it’s best not to rush these things. Having a conversation during situations like these isn’t always easy, but it’s a good way to push one’s mind as an exercise.  
“Has Ktila taught you a lot during your time of travelling together?”

Nadia has shown a lot of interest for Kira’s life before, asking questions whenever she can. Most of them have previously been about the early life in the Empire, on Nar Shaddaa and during her initiation into the Order, however.  
“Not all too much. I was already a padawan when she came into my life, so I’ve been more of a…subordinate and friend to her, rather than student.”  
She senses the pole she’s controlling through the Force and how it touches the bottom. Utilizing a bit more energy, she makes it pierce the ground and tries to steady it as much as possible. Her lips shape a small smile.  
“Very good friends, actually. I think I’d go so far as to call her my best friend.”

It’s kind of an odd friendship, but one Kira enjoys immensely nonetheless. Nadia likes the sound of that as well, but there’s something different piquing her interest.  
“What about master Bela then?”

Kira glances at Nadia, standing a few meters away, and nods.  
“Yeah, she’s the one who’s taught me the most about being a Jedi.”

“For how long?”

“Since she found me, really. I’ve had a few other tutors here on Tython, but master Kiwiiks has always been there for me. She’s very good at it too.”

“So I’ve heard. She was the one who lectured you about the light and dark then, I guess?”

This conversation appears to wander into a very specific area, and Kira is unsure of exactly where Nadia wishes to take it.  
“Well, that’s true, but others have obviously tried to speak about it as well. All Jedi are taught of what it means to follow either side.”

Something must be on Nadia’s mind, at least from the way she appears when she continues her work. Kira can’t say sense anything troubling emanating from her aura however.  
“Were those lessons pretty straight forward then?”

“In what way?”

“As in, the light is good and dark is evil?”

Kira contemplates it, but cannot see any faults with that assumption.  
“Not specifically ‘evil’ but, for the most part, yeah. The dark side is problematic and dangerous.”

“That is what I’ve heard from most Jedi as well, even the initiates who haven’t spent much time here.”

She attempts to find the appropriate angle. Is Nadia tempted by it or is there another side to this issue?  
“Why do you ask about this?”

Nadia takes a deep breath and then shrugs as she emits it.  
“I’ve not been around the Jedi for long and even then, it is almost only master Iron who teaches me. Her view on the aspects of the Force is…different from what most Jedi seem to think.”

Not that she isn’t interested, but these kinds of thoughts aren’t always welcome among the Jedi, from Kira’s experience.  
“Okay uhm, different how?”

“She tells me that the road ahead is not as narrow as people seem to believe. The Force is not just a dichotomy and cannot so easily be divided into good or bad.”

“Hmm, that is certainly an unusual perspective among the Order, especially for someone in the Council.”  
She’s not sure how positive such an addition is either. From what history tells them, many who have travelled such a path have been led astray.

More poles enter the water and the course is close to being finished. Even as Nadia gazes at Kira, she does not halt her task.  
“Do you feel that the Force can be simplified in that manner? I mean, you have a very close relationship with a Sith, which wouldn’t be accepted by most around here.”

Kira twitches momentarily, almost dropping the pole she is holding through the Force, but manages to correct it at the last second. She stops for a moment and looks over her shoulder. Thankfully, they’re still alone. Could’ve been a close one.  
“Uh, that is…true, but Jaesa isn’t a typical Sith. I wouldn’t describe her as ‘dark’.”

“I know, but I’ve met her as well and I can’t say that she felt close to the light side either.”

This is, of course, an aspect which Kira has noticed in the past. It makes her feel insecure and not for the fact that she’s afraid that Jaesa would somehow turn into some ridiculous notion of ‘evil’, but rather because she has felt similar traits in herself. During the years she spent with master Bela and the Jedi, she has always tried to adhere as much as possible to their teachings. She did not want to be a puppet of the Emperor and wished to separate herself from anything that she would describe as Sith.  
And then…she met Jaesa and Vette.  
“You…you’re right, of course.”

It's hard to admit it, but she cannot bring herself to speak falsely of this subject.  
Only two poles left when Kira places this one into the bottom of shallower parts of the lake. Nadia grabs one of those for herself.  
“How do you feel about it, then? Do you fear the dark?”

Kira stands still and ponders her response. Her eyes descend to her hands, watching the lines which run across them, feeling the invisible ripples of the Force.  
“No, nothing like that. It’s simply…troubling, for many reasons.”

“You’re afraid what the Emperor will do to you?”

She shuts her eyes, trying to make sure that her mind remains stable. Sometimes when everything is quiet around her, she is certain that she can still hear his whispers, but how can she tell if that is real or just her imagination?  
“…not exactly, but it is on my mind fairly often.”

When opening them again, the two keeps a silence around each other until they are finished with their task. Afterwards, Nadia closes the distance between them again.  
“Kira, no matter what my master have said in the past and what others may believe, you are your own person and not his. You shouldn’t fear the possibility of exploring yourself and whatever potential rests within you.”

Wise words, although not something she expected from a padawan. Iron’s advice, perhaps? Or maybe Nadia’s perception is deeper than what others assume of her.  
“I…I suppose you’re right. I’d like to think you are, anyway. Those kinds of thoughts often surround me, but…”  
Once more, images of Jaesa and Vette pops into her head. Are they the reason she wants to expand her possibilities? The urge to be with them is strong, at times so much that she has even found herself contemplating whether she truly belongs here.  
What will she do when those feelings grow stronger than her need to fight for the Republic?  
“I dunno. Maybe it’s too dangerous.”

Nadia raises her hand, placing it upon Kira’s shoulder and squeezes it gently.  
“Nothing will change if we don’t try.”

“Probably not, but what if that change isn’t good?”

Nadia smiles, stroking her fingers down along the arm and pulls their hands together instead.  
“You don’t have to fear it, you know. Your friends will always be there for you.”

She doesn’t truly know how or why she began to trust Nadia so much as a friend. Perhaps it is simply for what they’ve both seen or that Nadia found out enough that she feels comfortable opening up even further. Regardless, she greatly appreciates the sentiment.  
“Thank you.”  
To Nadia’s surprise, Kira tears her hand away, grabs the padawan’s wrist and pulls her into an embrace with just one arm.  
“Now, I think you owe me a snack or something, for doing all this work with you.”

Nadia erupts into laughter again and nods eagerly.  
“Sure thing! Maybe some of those off-world traders have something tasty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I've always seen Nadia as more enthusiastic and joyful, something that is not tempered by Iron (my Consular) as she enjoys those sides of her padawan. That's why Nadia eagerly hugs her friends and such. At the same time though, I wanted to show that Nadia has different thoughts of the Force from the Jedi (partially because she entered the Order so late), similar to her master._
> 
> _I probably won't have any more chapters for a few weeks, but I believe the next will still have all three together again._


	7. A light furred tap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Well, let's see if this works, I suppose. Might be a bit too silly, I dunno._

The Galactic War takes its toll upon those are forced into it, especially for the young who may know very little else in the galaxy than the antagonism between the two factions at play. To be able to cope with it, some people just need to get away sometimes, and Kira is definitely one of those who considers the occasional short vacation to be a necessity. As she rarely gets the chance to see her two girlfriends, she wants to have as much fun during that time as possible, and therefore planned ahead for these few days they get to spend together.

Normally, they might’ve been able to acquire what Kira needs on Corellia or Coruscant, but as the former is currently a battlefield and the latter is not safe enough for the two women associated with the Empire, they’ve had to seek another place for their meetup. This is why they’re currently out on the Mid Rim world of Nalqatyar, one of those who stand neutral in the war and is not positioned very well to ally with either. It still reaches trade routes with other neutral planets, along with the Hutt Cartel and neutral factions. This is usually the kind of place that the trio search for whenever they need to meet.

The first two days were spent on eating and entertainment, although Jaesa showed only a modicum of interest for these. Her major enjoyment was just being with both of them. This day, however, Kira has decided to drag the other two with her through the market district of the medium-sized coastal city they’re currently in. So far, she hasn’t told them where they’re going, except for possibly seeming quite excited about it. It’s gotten both of them curious, but Jaesa is also a little bit worried. She knows that Kira can be…impulsive.

“How far do we have to go?”, the Sith asks.

The Jedi glances over at her more modestly dressed girlfriend. It’s a sunny and warm day, so both Vette and Kira have put on shorter and looser clothes, while Jaesa still opts for a longer dress. It does give her space to walk at least.  
“Impatient much?”, she comments while smirking.

Jaesa looks at her skeptically and sighs briefly.  
“I just wish to know where you’re taking us.”

“I told you, it’s a surprise! I’m not gonna spoil it just ‘cause you can’t wait.”

The Sith rolls her eyes and folds her arms. She may try to deny it, but there is some truth to Kira’s statement. Vette corrects her sunglasses somewhat and glances between them. She’s currently walking in the middle, which may be some way for her to assert herself, despite being the shortest.  
“You want us to guess or something?”

“No! I want you to try to stay patient for just a few more minutes. We’re almost there.”

The twi’lek takes a look around the area. There’s a bunch of different shops here, offering clothes, technological devices, cosmetic implants and such, but not much in terms of entertainment, food or anything similar. What is it that Kira so secretly wants to purchase?  
“I thought we were going to the beach today.”

“We are! Later. Right now, we have something more important to handle.”

“More important than seeing Jae in a swimsuit?”

Both of the other women looks at the apprentice, whose cheeks flush for just a brief moment.  
“…I never said I was.”

“Oh c’mon, sure you are! This is one of our few chances to do so. You have to take this opportunity.”

“Why is it important to you?”

Vette pushes the shades up on her forehead, right by her headband, and arches a brow.  
“You’re not seriously asking why _I’d_ wanna see you in that kind of outfit, are you?”

She certainly doesn’t need to guess, but considering how much time they’ve spent together, it feels somewhat silly to her.  
“…you see me in barely any clothing quite often, Vette.”

“So? This is not about nudity, Jae! It’s about you looking cute.”

Kira grins in agreement.  
“Yup, I’m on her side, beautiful. She’s got a very good point.”

Jaesa sighs, knowing how useless it is to try to argue with them.  
“I haven’t and won’t promise anything.”

“Better than nothing!”  
It’s not all too long until Kira's face lights up in excitement, as she has spotted what it is that all of this has led up to.  
What they stop outside of is a slightly larger store than some of the rest on this street, with the front windows and signs having images of adorable looking animals from certain parts of the galaxy.  
“And here we are! This is exactly what we need to explore.”

Vette and Jaesa widen their eyes in surprise, but while the twi’lek turns to an eager smile, the apprentice is quite a bit less excited.  
“Kira…”

Vette breaks out into a laughter and claps her hands.  
“Ooh, yes! You’re brilliant, Kira!”

The Jedi herself places her hands at her hips and nods with a confident smile on her lips.  
“I know, right?”

While motioning at the store, Jaesa faces her.  
“You want us to get a pet? This is your great idea?”

“Yup! Something wrong with that?”

Where should she start? She can already think of at least a dozen different problems with such a plan.  
“Do you know how much responsibility it is to have one? Not to mention the difficulty of always living on a starship.”

Kira moves up to her, placing an arm around the apprentice’s shoulders and then walks with her towards the doors.  
“Relax, Jaesa. We haven’t even started checking what kind of animals they offer.”

“You haven’t considered the consequences at all, have you?”

“It’s not the end of the universe, Willsaam.”

“I’m serious!”

As the door slides open for them and they walk inside, they immediately hear the noises that fill the place. Most of the center of the area is packed with equipment, supplies and resources to purchase in order to take care of all kinds of pets, with some animal cages sitting along the walls. There are signs pointing out that some of the larger types are stored in the back.  
“So, what do we want to look at first?”

Vette strokes her chin in thought as they start by approaching the cages around the walls, seeing some rather harmless species on display. They seem to be rather healthy at least, which the trio sees as a good sign.  
“Well, it’s not like they sell predators or anything here, right? If we actually intend to buy something, I think we should start small.”

Jaesa simply shakes her head.  
“What we should do is leave and think this over properly, before we come to a decision.”

Kira smirks at her, but directs her attention at Vette.  
“You got a preference or anything?”

They walk past some small rodents and canines, but it’s when they pass by a cage with avian creatures that she twitches and takes a step back.  
“Uh…yeah, no birds.”

The humans appear somewhat surprised, seeing the small winged creatures flap around on their perches. They make some twittering noises, but other than that, they seem rather peaceful.  
“Why not?”

The twi’lek has already moved on and raises her hands up defensively.  
“Just…no birds, okay? I…I can’t have a bird.”

It’s not much of an explanation, but they’re not going to challenge her if she’s so adamant. Jaesa walks up to her side and gently wraps a hand around hers.  
“If that’s what you want, we will avoid the birds.”

She leans her head against Jaesa’s shoulder as they approach the doors that lead to the animals at the back.  
“Thanks.”

This area has a few rooms to separate some of the creatures and give them different climates and temperatures to stay in. Some of the cages here are also larger, although not all too huge beasts are kept here. It’s likely they’re shipped away, in that case.  
Kira taps her cheek in thought.  
“Hmm, guess we won’t be getting a rancor then.”  
Jaesa turns a slight glare at her, enough for Kira to chuckle.  
“Kidding!”

“I’m not so sure if I believe you.”

“Come on, relax! I’m just here to have a good time and you should do the same.”  
Whilst they approach one of the doors, Kira immediately focuses upon one of the words of the animals on offer.  
“Ooh, look! They have nexu cubs. Should we get one of those, maybe?”

Vette tilts her head in interest, but Jaesa exhales, worrying even more than she was previously.  
“I hope you’re not serious.”

“Why not? Think of how cool it’d be!”

“Kira, a nexu is a ferocious carnivore. We can’t have that as a pet!”

They decide to step inside this room anyway and Kira shows them to the cage where the nexu cubs are kept. They can see small, hairy, four-eyed creatures, which admittedly already has rather sharp fangs and claws. Currently, though, they have white fur and only make quite meager squeaks as they push their paws against the wall where the trio is approaching.  
Kira smiles gently as she kneels down by them, wagging her finger playfully at them, but not inside the cage itself.  
“How can you say that? Look at these little cuties. You can’t claim that’s ferocious.”

Jaesa raises her free hand and rubs her forehead in frustration.  
“Right now, no, but they grow to be several meters long, with mouths big enough to swallow us. That is not a very safe pet to have. How would we even take care of it? We live on different locations.”

“So? We can work something out. We can take turns; you two have it one or two weeks and then we meet up and I have it for about the same time. I mean, it’s not a perfect plan and we will have to flexible with the time, but I think it can work.”

She will admit that it has potential, but she still doesn’t like this specific choice.  
“Maybe, but we can’t have a nexu.”

“Yes, we can.”

“No, Kira. We can’t take care of one!”

She stands up and crosses her arms as she looks at Jaesa.  
“We can take care of a nexu. I believe in us.”

“No! Stop it!”

At this point, Kira finds it difficult to hold back the smile any longer and it lets both of the others know that she’s mostly messing around. Vette begins to snicker and motions to the side.  
“If you two are done with your childish arguing, shall we go check something else out instead?”

They agree with her, while Kira moves up to Jaesa and now grabs the only hand she had free, allowing them to walk together. Kira isn’t quite done teasing, though.  
“Okay, what about a shakwulf?”

Jaesa looks annoyed, but not enough to actually get properly angry, as Kira is well aware of. That is why she continues.  
“Isn’t that a farm animal? I don’t think it would be comfortable on our ships.”

“Rock lizard?”

“I think they’re poisonous.”

As they’re walking towards one of the rooms with perhaps fluffier and more manageable creatures, Vette laughs.  
“You know, I bet she’s going to suggest a krayt dragon soon.”

Kira’s smirk is now larger than the previous one.  
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea, you know.”

Jaesa slowly turns to Kira, doing her best to stare the Jedi down, but Kira stands tall.  
“You’re impossible.”

“Yup, but you love me anyway.”

She sighs and shakes her head. Clearly, Jaesa should’ve protested going in here a bit harder.  
“I still believe that we should leave and reflect on all this before we make a choice. I’m not sure it’s wise for us to have a pet and I’m not saying that because I don’t like them. I’m just thinking of their situation with us.”

At that point, Vette lets go of her hand and instead approaches one of the cages without a roof, where some small feline cubs are being held. They see a sign nearby, calling the creatures inside ‘fexiln’, which is a familiar species to some of them. They emit gentle mewling noises at approach.  
“Aww, don’t be like that, Jae. I mean, look at these little sweethearts. Can you really say no to one of these?”

Jaesa faces her with some uncertainty as Vette lifts one up.  
“Vette…you can’t persuade me with arguments like that alone. I believe this is a serious issue.”

The twi’lek approaches her, holding the cub in her arms as she begins to speak in a kind of childish tone, somehow trying to imitate what it might sound like as a person.  
“I wuv you, Jaesa. Let me hug and kiss yous, and cuddle all day long.”

As she holds it even closer, the fexiln begins to purr when seeing the human in front of it. Somehow, Jaesa feels like this thing is trying to manipulate her as well, as if it’s gazing deeply into her eyes. Should she be taken by it or terrified?  
Eventually, Jaesa’s shoulders slumps down in defeat.  
“Dammit Vette…alright, I suppose we can talk about it here.”

Kira giggles and leans over to kiss her cheek. She does feels somewhat sympathetic that they might be pushing Jaesa a bit too much. Then again, Kira knows she’ll be thanked in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, Jaesa can still find it difficult with these two._   
>  _The bird thing with Vette is from a reference of what she says on Rishi._


	8. Like the sky's fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _So uh, this is a Talon winter holiday special...or something. I dunno. It's winter on this part of the world they're on, anyway. And if you've ever been to Hoth with Vette as company, you should know how she feels about that._

“I can’t believe I agreed to this!”

Vette’s words resonate through the room of the cabin, allowing it to be heard without problem by the other denizens inside of it, but not much else. And it’s not like there are many other people around either.  
Kira glances over her shoulder as she works, smirking to herself and shakes her head slightly.  
“Yes, you can. Stop pretending like you didn’t agree to come here.”

“I agreed because I’m nice! I didn’t think we’d be stuck in the freezer! If I knew, I’d definitely have refused.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

Vette hears some more slashing noises from where Kira is standing as the Jedi uses her lightsaber to cut apart some kind of wooden chair. The twi’lek sighs and pulls the blanket over herself more tightly, but still feels as if she can’t escape the chill around her.  
“Are you done yet, or what?”

“I’m getting to it, don’t rush me.”  
They don’t have all too many of these pieces and they also don’t know how long they’ll remain, but Kira has to use as many as she can.  
“It’d go quicker if you helped out, you know.”

Vette groans and pulls her legs up, trying to hide them under the blanket too.  
“I’m too cold!”

“Moving around will help warm you up.”

“And run around without the blanket? No thanks.”

Kira simply smiles and shakes her head. In fact, she didn’t need the aid, but it would be good to get the twi’lek moving. They are kinda lucky that they managed to rente this old-fashioned cabin and not something with more modern equipment. Probably wouldn’t have had some wooden furniture at all and certainly not any sort of surface to create a fire on. Well, not that this place is equipped to make a campfire, but Kira has been able to prepare a metal surface to make the fire on, which hopefully won’t make it spread to anything else in the house. The house itself is, thankfully, not wood. That would make this a lot more hazardous.

When she’s done, she fetches one of the items they found out in the shed next to the cabin, some kind of industrial blowtorch. There were other items that could come in handy later on, but for now this was all she required. Maybe a bit overkill, but she only needs it for a second. She steps back and tries to be as precise as possible as she lights the wood up. Thankfully, she doesn’t get any on her own clothes and once the fire begins to properly burn, she prepares it so that it stays closer to their seats on the sofa.  
“And there we go! One campfire or…whatever you wanna call it.”

Vette shivers still, but reaches out with her hands to try to feel for any heat.  
“This isn’t a camp, Kira.”

“I know that! But I don’t know what else to call it.”

The twi’lek glances over her shoulder, looking out towards one of the doors at the other side of the living room.  
“Where’s Jaesa?”

“Probably still making that tea.”

“What’s she making it with?”

“She brought some kind of outdoors equipment, just in case some stuff wouldn’t be working in here.”

It isn’t all too strange that she would’ve partially prepared herself, as she is the reason they came here in the first place.  
Before the trip, they had been discussing for weeks where they would go together on their next excursion and for some reason, Jaesa had been reminiscing about her time back on Alderaan. She mentioned a particular event closer to one of the poles where her parents had taken her when she was younger, to watch a show of aurora in the night sky.  
Unfortunately, going on holiday at Alderaan was no longer possible with the developments in the civil war, so Jaesa had started to search for other places with interesting phenomenon. It appears that this planet, known as Ikt-akad in the Mid Rim, have particularly fascinating natural lights in the sky that shimmers in all kinds of colors and sometimes intermingle with the natural illumination from some of the world’s own vegetation. On the HoloNet, they had seen many recommendations for people to go and watch this event, as it was said to be more spectacular than what many other worlds could display. Obviously, Jaesa had been intrigued and begged Vette to agree to it.

The major problem that Vette had seen was the fact that they had to go to this world during winter in the northern hemisphere…and the auroras could only be seen at night. If there is anything that Vette hates more than birds, or possibly at the same level, it’s definitely cold. She had refused for several days, ignoring Jaesa’s pleas of how much she would enjoy it and offers of returning the favor. It took the apprentice’s reassurance that the cabin they’d rent would be fully heated, prepared with supplies already when they got here and a promise that they would stay for no longer than a few days, for Vette to even remotely agree.

Well, turns out that the corporation they rented it from did not have the absolute best quality of service. The cold this winter had shown to be particularly severe, which somehow must’ve frozen one of the generators that granted power and electricity to this cabin and many others in the forest they’re staying at, which is why the heating does not work. Added to this, the stock of supplies was not as full as they were promised. Only some food had been prepared and even then, far from all of what they had could be eaten without being cooked first. Thankfully, Jaesa had brought some equipment with her, which is why she’s making some for them now. Still, Vette is far from pleased.

“Ugh, it’s _so cold!_ I hate it! Dammit, why does it torment me?!”

The fire clearly wasn’t enough, and Kira smirks slightly as she sits down next to her.  
“I don’t think the cold has a grudge against you, Vette.”

“Yeah well, that’s what it feels like, anyway.”  
She leans against Kira’s left side and the Jedi strokes an arm around her. She still shivers, which is why she searches for all kinds of sources of heat.  
“…I’m gonna die here, Kira. I’m gonna die in the cold.”

“You’re not going to die here, you big baby.”

“Yes, I am. We’re doomed. It’s inevitable.”

Kira rolls her eyes, knowing that Vette can be dramatic, but finding this somewhat over-the-top.  
“Don’t worry – if we do, I’ll make sure you’re preserved in ice. It’ll be really pretty.”

Vette sighs and shuts her eyes.  
“I’m going to die in the cold listening to your stupid jokes!”

“Hey, my jokes are great.”  
She looks down at her companion, pulling Vette somewhat closer. She could embrace her entirely, but Jaesa said she was going to bring something else, so Kira waits for now. However, she can still try to raise Vette’s spirits. Her voice takes on a suggestive tone instead.  
“You know, there are other ways to stay warm…”

The eyes of the twi’lek opens to gaze up at her and she snorts. It could’ve been a laugh, if she wasn’t freezing.  
“Maybe, but I’m too cold to be even slightly aroused.”  
Kira chuckles and gently kisses the top of her head.

The room they’re currently in has a set of rather big windows, obviously made to have a view of the area outside. The cabin was built on a bit of a slope and the trees are rather sparsely placed, giving them a fairly good angle to watch the sky. It is getting late now, meaning that it’s not long until things are supposedly going to light up. They’ve turned the sofa towards it for that occasion.

They hear noises from the door, as Jaesa manages to force it to slide open. If they had power, it would’ve done so automatically, but for now, they have to do things on their own. Kira turns her head to see the apprentice walking in with a tray of three mugs and several blankets thrown over one arm. She smiles at them and moves in closer to place the tray on top of the table by their seats. They can see the smoke billowing up from the top because of the warm tea within each that Jaesa have prepared.  
“Ah, good. I see you got the fire going.”

Kira nods and smiles proudly.  
“Of course. Had to improvise, but it wasn’t too difficult.”

“You did well, dear. Now, let me help you get even warmer.”  
She moves over to them and starts removing some of the blankets from her arm. She lets Vette sit up so that she can wrap another three layers of them around the twi’lek.  
“Better?”

Vette looks as if she’s now in some sort of cocoon of cloth, with only her tiny blue head and lekkus sticking up at the top. She nods slightly, but there’s something that still bothers her.  
“Could you pull them up over my head as well? My lekkus are very sensitive.”

Jaesa smiles gently.  
“Of course.”  
As Vette can barely move her arms on her own, Jaesa helps by pulling some of the layers over her, covering the lekkus quite well. Just her face is visible to them now.

Kira tilts her head to get a better view and then bursts out into laughter.  
“You look like a little blue ghost or something!”

Vette’s eyes shift in her direction, frowning somewhat.  
“Ha ha. Very funny. I’d haunt you if I could, you can bet on that.”

“Hey, I didn’t say you weren’t cute this way.”

“Shut up!”

She’s about to add another humorous comment when she feels how Jaesa strokes one of the cloth pieces around her shoulders as well. Kira widens her eyes and then attempts to move the blanket off her, although not violently so.  
“You don’t have to give me that. I’m fine without it.”

The look on Jaesa’s face appears understanding, but doubtful.  
“You’re wrong, Kira. We’re going to be sitting here for a while and eventually, you will get cold. This is just a precaution.”

As she’s always trying to be braver than the others, she can’t help but protest.  
“But I don’t need it! The Force will keep me warm, I swear!”

“You will be too distracted to meditate. Now, stop complaining and do as I ask.”  
She wraps it around the Jedi more tightly and then kisses the top of her head.  
“You’ll thank me later.”

Kira pouts in slight annoyance.  
“Whatever…”

After she’s done, she moves around the sofa, grabbing the last blanket for herself and takes her seat in between them. They usually prefer to have her in that position. She makes sure to hand them both one of the warm cups, especially helping Vette to get her hands out in order to hold it. With the fire, the coverings, the cups and how close they sit to each other, they’ve finally managed to beat back some of the low temperature.

Jaesa wraps the quilt around herself and before grabbing her own cup, she lifts a small device from her pocket, checking the time.  
“We should be able to see the auroras within the hour or so, if they follow the standard time they usually arrive.”

Vette’s shoulders slump slightly as she sighs.  
“What are we supposed to do until then? We don’t have any holovid players or anything.”

“Well, we’ve been able to entertain ourselves without vids before. We’ve got ourselves and our imagination. Could always tell some stories until it’s time for the show.”

Despite the fact that neither Kira nor Vette are particularly interested in it, they’re glad to see Jaesa being so enthusiastic and eager to witness it. Somehow, that is enough for them to feel satisfied.  
For the next hour or so, they cuddle up close to each other, speak of the past and wait for the skies to ignite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, dunno about the wooden furniture. I just thought it was funny._


	9. To her heart's depths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Since it's still Femslash February, I wanted to put out a Jaesandwich chapter, since I only ever do when I have some fun idea. This one turned out to be a lot longer than I expected, and it was more uh, dramatic than "fun", but hey, it's still something!_

The sparkling and colorful lights emitted from the endless stream of buildings in the district, stands in rather sharp contrast with the uncomfortable mess of the polluted yellow-brown sky. Kira’s ears are not just filled with the sounds of people in the distance, but the thousands of air speeders, shuttles and other vehicles that fly around in the area nearby. Despite this, she does not relocate to somewhere quieter, partially because of her nervousness, but also because she has to be here and wait for the duo she wants to meet. Even as she gets such an open view of Nar Shaddaa, she has never been a particular fan of it. Reminds her too much of her terrible childhood. Then again, that’s exactly why she came in the first place. Why can’t the past just stay in the damn past?

Coming back here with Ktila about a year or two ago, whenever it was, brought back a lot of unwanted memories she thought she had buried. Unfortunately, they resurfaced very quickly, and it was impossible to ignore. It probably has to do with what a mess the moon is overall. So much people, so much life and pollution, which makes the whole area almost vibrate through the Force, and yet feel disturbing at the same time. In her youth, she didn’t fully recognize this or understand it, but after she came here as a Jedi, it was a surprisingly more uncomfortable experience.

Thankfully, she’s distracted from such thoughts when she hears a sound from the elevators several meters behind and turns just in time to see the doors open up. In it, she spots two very familiar and welcoming individuals. In comparison to Kira’s own robes in shades of brown, Jaesa has a mixture of grey and dark violet on hers, while Vette has opted for a red and white shirt with black plants. The sight brings a smile to the Jedi’s lips and she quickly runs up to them, embracing the other human first of all. She runs her arms around Jaesa’s shoulders in a hug, before kissing her deeply as well.  
Vette smirks at them, and seems to be ready to complain a little bit, but that is interrupted before it can start, as Kira embraces her directly afterwards, putting a hand under the twi’leks chin to tilt her head up and gives her lips an equally intense treatment.

When they break it off, Vette smiles and slowly opens her eyes again.  
“Mm, that’s better.”

Kira winks at her, taking a step back to stand in between them.  
“It’s good to see you both again. I always miss you when we’re apart.  
Although uh, I should probably apologize for asking you to come here, especially you, Vette. I know how much you hate this place and you probably don’t have a lot of good memories…”

Vette looks out over the cityscape not too far away and shrugs.  
“Eh, it’s a dump and I do hate it, but that doesn’t matter.” She gives both of them a glance.  
“I’m with my favorite two girls and that’s the important part.”

Jaesa smiles as well and nods in agreement.  
“Indeed, I feel the same way. I’d do anything for both of you, despite how I may perceive this place.”

Kira folds her arms, looking somewhat more solemn.  
“You’re feeling it too, I guess?”

“Yes, it’s difficult not to. I’ve been to Coruscant but, somehow, this place is different. The presence of the Force is so prevalent here, but not in a very pleasant way.”

The young Jedi sighs.  
“Yeah, it’s like…oppressive. It’s strange to think about, as I never noticed that in the same way when I grew up.”

Seeing as how she doesn’t really get most of that, Vette appears mostly skeptical.  
“Uh, I guess you two may have a point. I mean, it’s definitely slimy. Always has been.”

“Heh, yeah, that’s true as well. It’s not quite the same but…still, I suppose everyone can have a reason for disliking this crappy moon.”

Jaesa diverts them from the thought of the natural satellite overall and to the current situation instead.  
“Maybe you should tell us more about why you’ve asked us to come? You mentioned some friends of yours.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry that I had to be so curt, but the situation was, or rather is, kinda dire.  
Two of my old friends from the district I used to live in - a twi’lek named Sira’vil and an evocii called Dinqa - have been kidnapped.”

This brings a frown to Vette’s expression and she places her hands at her hips instead, close to her guns. Compared to the two Force users, Vette is not trying to hide the fact that she’s armed.  
“Kidnapped? By who?”

“It’s some kind of gang who calls themselves ‘Zero Dusk’. I used to deal with a lot of that crap when I was younger, but I’ve never heard of these guys. Must be a new one, or at least a group that formed after I left.”

Seeing how Vette narrows her eyes suspiciously, however, she seems to be more aware.  
“You sure they were called that?”

“That’s what the message said, so it should be.”

“Huh. Well, I know of ‘em. They are kind of new, at least from a few years ago. They’ve got a nasty reputation, as they’ve slowly been building up status and prestige. Formed from two minor gangs merging to carve out territory for themselves.”

Jaesa seems somewhat bemused as she looks between them.  
“And do the Hutts just allow them do this sort of thing?”

“Of course. As long as the gangs don’t get in their way and give them a cut from the occasional profits they might make in the future, they don’t care how much devastation the gangs cause on the population.”

Kira sighs slightly, all too used to that kind of terror.  
“Yeah, pretty much. It’s a horrible place to live on, as you can imagine. Anyway, that’s why I’ve asked you to come. I need your help, if things go poorly. Since I don’t know this gang or how they operate, I can’t predict their moves. I would’ve gone at it alone if I could, but that may not be all too smart.”

Jaesa places a hand on her shoulder.  
“It was a good idea to ask us to do so. Even if you knew of them, I would prefer if you don’t try to handle these kinds of things alone. We are always here for you.”

Vette smiles and takes a step forward to poke Kira’s side in a playful manner.  
“She’s right, ya know. Just because you think you’re tough, doesn’t mean you’re invincible. That’s why we do these things together.”

Offering a small smile to them, Kira shakes her head slightly.  
“Tsk, alright, I suppose you may have some kind of point. Either way, I do need your help here. Will you come with me?”

The twi’lek rolls her eyes and wraps an arm around Kira’s waist.  
“Why is that a question you have to ask? Of course we’ll come with you! Why else would we even be here, huh?”

"Well, I just, you know, wanted to let you in on the details before you decided.”

Jaesa smiles, echoing the same emotions as she takes Kira’s hand on the other side.  
“There’s no decision that needs to be made. We’ll join you without a doubt.”

Kira seems to appreciate this and smiles as she squeezes her hands at each of them.  
“Dunno what I’d do without you two.  
Oh, and when we get there, try to stay in the background to begin with and let me do the talking.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, we won’t try to ruin your ‘tough Jedi’ routine”, Vette says with a slight smirk.

* * *

  
After purchasing a ride with an air taxi, they fly towards a somewhat different and far less pleasant district of the Smuggler’s Moon. Not that Kira would call any part of this horrible place ‘pleasant’, but the slums are by far the worst, with how neglected they have been for ages.  
The trio gets quite a few looks from the people around them as they wander together, not because anyone suspects there’s two Force users present, but probably because of their intriguing appearances. Thankfully, subtle applications of the Force from both Kira and Jaesa discourages any behavior that would bring such crowds closer.

Eventually, they arrive in an abandoned complex, a place that probably used to be a store of some kind, but now just ends up being both an area for storage to whomever claims it, living space, and a location for this exact kind of meeting.  
On the opposite side from where the trio enters, comes a rather mixed group. The one at the front, probably the leader, is a big male nikto with dark green scales and a two-handed vibrosword at his back. Around him, there’s several different people – a few more nikto, two rattataki, three humans, a duo of twi’leks and a togruta. Kira is pretty certain they’ve got even more backup if need be.  
Except for the gang members, there’s also two people standing further behind, being held by some of the others. Their arms are bound by electronic handcuffs, and both of them look down. Kira can feel the negative emotions, fear being chief among them. She clenches her fist for a moment, but tries not to let it get to her. Vette and Jaesa have stopped in the back of the room, with the Sith pulling up her hood.

Kira turns his attention to the man in front of her.  
“You must be Tyralq.”

He nods and while his voice is deep, it is a lot calmer than she expected.  
“I am. And you are Kira Carsen. You have quite a nice reputation in the right districts of this cesspit.”

“Oh yeah? I can definitely not say the same about you.”

Tyralq appears amused by the blunt statement.  
“That you’ve heard of me at all is enough.”

“Huh. Well, that’s too bad. I was told about you as late as today, so you’re not as well-known as you may think.”

His smirk disappears, but he doesn’t show any anger.  
“Well, none of that matters anyway, because it’s not why we’re here.”

“Then why the hell are we here, asshole? If you know my reputation, you should know that it’s bad to mess with me. Why have you taken my friends?”

“Shouldn’t that be obvious? I’m interested in you, miss Carsen. Or more specifically, I want you to do a job for me.”

“What? You want me for a job?”

“Mhm. We could use a capable warrior like yourself. If the rumors of your skills are true, you’ll be more than adequate.”

She doesn’t like the thought of working for these people, nor does she care for their supposed praise.  
“I am _not_ a warrior. I’m a Jedi.”

Tyralq’s lips spreads into a small grin.  
“That’s funny, I don’t really see the difference. You fight and kill people just like any warrior, don’t you?”

“I don’t just kill people! The only reason I fight is to _protect_ others, not for the fun of it.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s not what I hear from the rumors. They say you can get pretty damn violent and it sounds like you’ve enjoyed it too.”

She hesitates, knowing that it is true to some extent. She rarely spoke in details to either master Kiwiiks or Ktila of what she did to the gangs she defeated. It felt best not to do so.  
“That’s in the past. I’m no longer that kid.”

“Then you better bring her back, because this isn’t a negotiation, but a demand.”  
He points over his shoulder.  
“You recognize these two, don’t you? Well, they’re ours until you’ve done what we want out of this deal.”

Kira gives both of them a quick look, and they seem to notice it as they raise their eyes to meet hers.  
“They’ve done nothing to you. Why have you dragged them into this? Release them and I’ll do what you-“

“Release them? You think I’m an idiot? I’ve heard about others trying similar demands with you, but without any leverage. This is the only thing keeping you in check and unless you want to watch us slowly tear them apart, then you’ll do as we say.”

She takes a deep breath, and finds herself annoyed by not just falling for this, but also that they seem to have taken her powers into consideration. The other gang members are positioned so it wouldn’t be easy to just free the captives, and there’s constantly someone holding them as well.  
However, Sira’vil tries to squirm somewhat and calls out.  
“Don’t do this, Kira! You know they won’t stop even if you agree! Kill them if you have to!”

Tyralq frowns and gazes over his shoulder. This protest earns not just the twi’lek, but Dinqa a hard knock on the head as well. Both of them grit their teeth in pain. Kira raises her arms in alarm.  
“Wait, don’t hurt them! Please, we can…discuss this without violence.”

As this happens, further behind the Jedi, Jaesa surveys the whole group gradually with her eyes and when she feels it is enough, she suddenly closes them and remains awfully quiet. Vette notices how she lowers her head and begins to wonder.  
“Hey, Jae, what are you doing?”, she whispers.

“Just investigating.”

Vette arches an eyebrow but, somehow, she realizes what this means.  
Tyralq is beginning to show signs of impatience and he folds his arms, almost appearing ready to tap his foot.  
“I’m getting tired of this slippery attitude, Carsen. Are you in or will we have to execute one of these brats for you to understand how serious we are?”

Kira frowns, but she senses her own desperation. This wasn’t quite the kind of situation she had expected.  
“I don’t get why you need me. I’m just one Jedi.”

“Yeah, and you know how many of you there are on the streets of this moon? That’s right, none. We’ve got a pretty major opportunity coming up and your abilities would be a huge advantage to us. That’s all we’re asking for – one job. Agree, and you’ll get to see your friends again, eventually.”

Sira’vil frowns, not eager to give in.  
“You know he’s lying, Kira. Men like him never play fair and definitely won’t, if you agree to be his tool.”

He glares back at her once more.  
“I’ll definitely keep the promise of killing you first, you can believe that much, kid.”

Kira sighs, knowing she has little choice. What else can she do at this point, even if he’s not telling the truth? She needs more time to think and get the opportunity to free them regardless.  
“Alright, I…I’ll do as you-“

Before she can say much else, she senses a ripple through the Force, and then off to the side, one of the humans along with a nikto beside her, rises up into the air as they squirm and grasp at their throats. It’s as if someone is holding them up and choking them.  
At first, Kira doesn’t know what the hell is happening, until she quickly swirls around. From behind, she sees how Jaesa holds her hands up in the air, both of them clenched. The cold glare in her eyes is aimed directly at the leader.  
“Let go of her friends, Tyralq, or I will have to dispose of your comrades. I promise you that it will not be a pretty sight to watch, nor will it be painless for your friends.”

Kira has never heard Jaesa using such a tone, more emotionless than hateful. She stands in shock of how the apprentice chooses to wield the Force as well.  
However, Tyralq seems just as surprised, before outrage reaches him.  
“What the…you brought a Sith here, Carsen?!”

“I…I don’t...”

Jaesa shows a frown as she continues to hold them and while the rest of the gang have drawn weapons, they don’t dare to act.  
“Surprised, Tyralq? I am merely using the same trick you are trying on my companion.”

He grits his teeth, and probably wants to use his whole arsenal to punish her, but panic is starting to settle in as well.  
“You little bitch…”

“Time is ticking down, Tyralq. Make a decision. You only have a few seconds left. Shall I end them now, or do we have an agreement?”

With guns still aimed at her, Jaesa doesn’t show any fear nor remorse, ready to continue like this if need be. In contrast with Kira, however, Vette merely has her arms folded, watching how things play out.  
Tyralq raises an arm and shows a sign for them to lower their weapons.  
“Let the prisoners go.”

Another one of the nikto turns to him.  
“But, boss-“

“I said let them go, dammit! Do as I say, _now!”_

For whatever reason, no one wants to argue with him, and they quickly release the duo, allowing them to run into Kira’s care. Showing that she was serious, Jaesa releases the two she was holding as well, allowing the gang to care for their own.  
Tyralq displays another hand sign to his team and they retreat back towards the same entrance they went through earlier. However, he remains behind for a few more moments.  
“This isn’t over, you know. I won’t forget this.”

Jaesa steps forth and ends up beside Kira and the two former hostages. Her sight is trained at him.  
“I would hope not. If you _ever_ do this again, I shall return, and compared to Kira, I am far from as lenient. If you test my patience, I will unleash my rage on you.”

Every word is spoken calmly and with the same emotionless tone, but Kira senses the Force emanating from her girlfriend in a surprisingly dark aura. It actually goes far enough to reach into the nikto’s mind as well, making him hesitate and settling fear into it. He leaves without another word, letting the group do the same.

* * *

  
A few hours later, Kira returns to the same location that she met Jaesa and Vette at earlier today. She had to speak with her friends and make sure that they were alright. She could’ve just dropped them off at the same district as before, but realized it was not an option. Instead, she gave them credits to leave Nar Shaddaa and put them on a ship towards the Inner Rim. It’s the least she could do for getting them into this mess, after causing trouble in general the last time she was on this moon.

However, when she returns to her girlfriends, she feels rather unsure what to think. What she saw from Jaesa on the encounter against Zero Dusk was not the person she’s used to. Sure, she’s a Sith, but Kira has never actually seen her using the dark side of the Force in this manner, nor did she expect it to ever happen. However, she can’t deny what it was she witnessed previously. Would Jaesa have killed those two she was holding, if Tyralq didn’t step down? Kira isn’t certain whether she wants to know. She has killed people before, but not ones who haven’t provided a fight first. Those two were practically unarmed.

She finds them standing and talking by the railing she was leaning at earlier, but they turn in her direction as she approaches. Jaesa is first to speak and any of her previously cold demeanor is gone.  
“How are your friends?”

Kira clears her throat and folds her arms as she stops a few meters away.  
“They uh, they’re fine. The whole experience was kind of unnerving for them, but they should be alright. I gave them enough credits to get into Republic space and contact the authorities. They should be able to find some kind of refugee center and settle themselves in. I’ll contact them later and make sure that everything goes accordingly.  
Oh, and uh, they said thanks, for helping out. They really…admired your courage, Jaesa.”

Jaesa displays a small smile and nods curtly.  
“I only did what was necessary. If you see them again, tell them I am glad I could help.”  
However, she falters before she continues. Because of their capability with the Force and how close they’ve gotten, a bond has been created between the two humans, enough for her to somewhat sense Kira’s emotional state without even using her powers.  
“I…I should probably apologize to you, though. I know this wasn’t what we discussed.”

Vette interjects here, arching her eyebrow in surprise.  
“Uh, why are you apologizing? You kicked ass, Jae, and it was against asses that needed to be kicked.”

“Maybe, but I went about it in a way that might’ve been a little bit too forceful. Besides, Kira asked us not to intervene, so…”

“Who cares? You saved two people today, Jae! That’s the important part. Without you, they might be dead, or Kira would’ve been forced to do all sorts of crap.  
Right, Kira?”

She feels how both of their eyes focuses on her and with her conflicted state, she doesn’t know what to say.  
“Uh…well, you certainly brought them down, yeah.”

Raising her sight slowly, she locks eyes with Jaesa, seeing how the Sith searches Kira for any clear sign of approval or disapproval. However, the Jedi feels uncertain how to proceed.  
Vette frowns and takes a step forward to stand in between them.  
“Hey, you’re not gonna judge her for what she did, are you? Jae did what was necessary, without even killing anyone.”

“Yeah, but…”

“But what? It was violent? She’s not a Jedi, Kira and you know that. Besides, what did the Jedi ways really give you? Those bastards might’ve tried to manipulate you to do all sorts of shitty jobs for them, just because they knew you wanted to protect your friends. Jae stopped them hopefully from ever trying again.”

What Vette says is true, but she doesn’t know if it’s the right thing to do. Kira faces Jaesa once more.  
“If they wouldn’t have let my friends go…how far would you have taken it?”

Jaesa opens her mouth, but hesitates. She fidgets for a moment.  
“I…don’t really know. I was acting on instinct back there. I realized they would only understand things in the same way they operate, so I targeted two of those who were closest to the leader. I suppose I would’ve done what was necessary.”

Vette inclines her head in support of Jaesa.  
“And you did the right thing, at least in my eyes. I would’ve done the same if I had the chance.”

Kira is about to protest, but she stops herself and considers Vette’s words for a moment.  
How would Kira have reacted if it was Vette who acted to protect her friends? She can’t use the Force, but she’s good with her blasters. She could’ve targeted the same people, shot at them. Would Kira feel the same way? Sure, she might have scolded the twi’lek, but she would not be feeling the same kind of trepidation, would she? Is Kira more judgmental of Jaesa’s actions because she’s a Force user? Because she’s a Sith?

She suddenly relaxes and sighs.  
“You’re right."

“Of course I am. Aren’t I always?”

Kira turns to Jaesa and regards her with more understanding eyes.  
“It wasn’t what I would’ve done, but you helped out. You saved my friends and I am immensely grateful for it.”

This brings a smile to Jaesa’s lips and she moves closer.  
“Anyone who is important to you or Vette, is important to me. I would do anything to help.”

From what Kira saw today, she believes it. With a small smile, she accepts the hug that Jaesa offers to her and they put their foreheads together in an affectionate manner. She realizes that they are different, but it’s probably this contrast which makes her love the Sith so much.  
“Who taught you how to do that anyway? Zal?”

“Yes. I obviously already knew the basics of what it was like to use the Force, but master Zal’riva has taught me how to not only control my emotions, but unleash them when it’s necessary. It is not as damning of an act as the Jedi tells everyone.”

Vette joins them while running an arm in behind each of them.  
“I’ve seen her do it before, ya know. It’s pretty damn impressive, actually.”

“Well, I only use it when I feel it is needed.”

“Such as against assholes, like that Taimel or whatever.”

Kira snorts amusedly.  
“His name was Tyralq, you know.”

“Ah, who gives a crap? He’s a jerk, and that’s all I need to know.”

Her dismissive attitude makes Kira laugh and she pulls both of her girlfriends into a tight hug.  
“You two are the best.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I've mentioned it in several places but, to me, Jaesa is a Grey Jedi/Sith, and therefore, she tries to keep a certain balance in her training and usage of the Force. That's why she won't be discouraged to using certain shades of the dark side when necessary._


	10. Tunes of memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Some more triple trouble, anyone? Well, triple fluff, I guess._   
>  _Yeah, I know it's been a while but, this is the story I only update when I feel that I have the time. Which I had today!_

The expanse of space known to the rest of the galaxy as ‘Hutt territory’ is not just a term for planets that hutt control, but also where their influence extends the most, even if they are not necessarily present at all times.  
Nal Shaloch is that kind of world which, despite the name, isn’t necessarily a part of what the hutts deem to be among their core worlds, but their influence upon it is quite severe. It’s filled with all sorts of dubious and dangerous elements in the form of criminal syndicates, pirates and gangs, but also less easily defined ones, such as bounty hunters, exiles, or people who merely seek shelter for whatever reason. 

A trio that would not be expected to come here is currently on its way through the streets, approaching some kind of apartment complex. Once they’re inside, they quickly hurry up the stairs and approach a specific door. The shortest of them puts in some sort of code on an old and kind of rusty keypad, making the door slide open, and all three steps inside, the two in the back looking around with curious gazes.

As soon as Vette switches on the lights, her companions have already started looking around. Jaesa’s face display the delight she feels for finally being given the chance to visit this place, while Kira seems a little bit sneakier. She’s probably already trying to locate something she might find entertaining.  
After the door has closed, Vette walks into the middle of the room and spreads her arms in a welcoming gesture.

“So yeah, here we are. This is the apartment that me, Taunt, Plasmajack and Flash used during our time here. It was a sort of a ‘headquarters’, I guess, while we searched the planet for twi’lek artifacts.” 

While she’s doing her search, Kira walks past a particular shelf and starts to cough.  
“It’s kinda dusty, by the way.”

Vette smirks at her.  
“Well yeah, we haven’t been here in a couple of years. You didn’t expect it to be pristine, did ya?”

“Guess not. I don’t suppose you have any cleaning droids in the area.”

“You’ve lived on Nar Shaddaa, Carsen. I think you know the answer to that.” 

Kira sighs and shakes her head.  
“Good point.”

Jaesa moves around a little more carefully, with an almost constant smile on her lips.  
“Well, I like it. I think it’s quite cozy.”

“Heh, well, it was, but that’s not always a great thing when you wanna have some privacy”, Vette comments. “That said, this was definitely one of the better places we had during any of our hunts, really.”

There’s apparently a lot of stuff stored here, in terms of furniture, possessions, decorative items and more. They must’ve stayed for quite some time.  
“I don’t suppose you’ve still got any of those artifacts here?”, Kira asks.

That makes Vette snort.  
“No, of course not! We sent them to twi’lek institutions and museums that wanted to preserve them. We wanted our people to be able to see and experience them, to know that our history holds a lot of important items.  
That said, there’s probably a bunch of other stuff here, which we left during our journeys.”

“Ooh!”, they suddenly hear from one of the corners, as Jaesa seems to have found something.  
“Is this a holophoto of you?”

Vette turns to her and then walks over to the same spot, to see what’s in the Sith’s hands. It brings a somewhat wistful smile to Vette’s lips.  
“Oh, yeah, me and the gang. That’s when we were in-...shit, I can’t remember the name. Some kind of city on the southern hemisphere. We found a small cache of valuables there, held by some loser crime lord, and not just twi’lek artifacts either. Made a bunch of zabrak, sullustan, and mirialan worlds pretty happy that day.”

The face Jaesa is making at this time is a very joyful one, and she lifts her finger to stroke along the length of Vette’s appearance on the picture, even if she can’t really touch it.  
“You looked so cute when you were younger.”

Vette smirks and rolls her eyes.  
“Hey, c’mon, that wasn’t even very long ago! Like, a few years before Zal found me, I think? But, yeah, those were some good days and I still remember them.  
In fact, Nal Shaloch is one of those worlds that I actually have some fonder memories from, and it has nothing to do with how pleasant the world is, because it sure as hell isn’t. Instead, we just had a lot of success here. We outsmarted a bunch of assholes, retrieved a lot of good parts and even earned enough credits to stay afloat for a pretty long time. Well, you know, in our terms, anyway.”

Jaesa stays quiet while she listens, studying her girlfriend during that time.  
“Do you miss them?”, she asks afterwards.

One of Vette’s lekkus rubs against her own arm, while the other curls somewhat behind her. She sighs briefly.  
“Yeah, of course I do. They were some of the most trustworthy, kind and smart people I’ve ever met, before I joined Zal.”  
Shortly after, she tries to dispel any gloom, as she meets Jaesa’s eyes.  
“I still want to meet up with them again someday, but I know we’ve got different lives now. I wanna be with you and Kira, help other species get their freedom in the Empire with you and Zal, rather than scavenge. It’s harder, sure, but I like it.”

Jaesa smiles at her, putting the mini holoprojector back down, wraps an arm around her girlfriend and leans her forehead against Vette’s.  
“I’m glad you feel that way. But hey, we can invite your friends at some point, to let them know that you’re okay and that you do good things.”

In return, Vette embraces her, sighing contently.  
“Yeah, that’d be nice. I’d also want them to meet my hot girlfriends.”  
As Jaesa giggles, it is soon interrupted by a noise in another room. This time, it’s from a delight expressed by Kira, which makes Vette raise an eyebrow skeptically.  
“Shit, what did she find now?”

The two starts to move towards this location, but doesn’t need to walk the whole length, as they run into each other halfway. They see how Kira exits the room she was in with a grin on her face, holding some type of physical portrait in her hands.  
“Look what I found! Not quite what I had expected.”  
The picture displayed on it is a dark blue-skinned twi’lek – darker than Vette - with long tattooed lekkus, a thin metal headband around the top of them and a fierce look in her eyes. Her body is quite toned and her appearance in general is fairly appealing, but when they gaze further down, they see that she’s also rather suggestively clad, even if the pose she uses is one in preparation for battle, wielding a blaster.  
“What’s this little thing, huh?”

Vette is shocked at first, her eyes widened and a blush over her cheeks, like she wasn’t quite expecting this. Jaesa examines it rather curiously instead.  
“H-hey, where did you find that?”, Vette asks.

“Oh, you know, hiding behind one of the cabinets in that room back there.”

“You can’t just look through that kind of stuff! It’s mine!”

Kira tilts her head slightly, a smug expression on her face.  
“What, because I might find embarrassing things? Besides, I didn’t open anything. It was just standing there against the wall. I simply picked it up.”

“…that’s beside the point!”

Hoping to reassure her, Jaesa smiles and places a hand on Vette’s shoulder.  
“I think she’s very beautiful, so I can see why you would want to save it. Although, I don’t recognize her.”

Taking a deep breath, Vette tries to calm down and emits a slow sigh.  
“Well, unless you know a lot about twi’lek vid history, I’m not surprised.  
This is Ke’vira Shodem, an actress. She was a pretty big deal a couple of centuries ago.”

Kira blinks in surprise, turning the poster around a bit in order to view the twi’lek again.  
“Wait, Shodem? Isn’t that the same name as the smuggler Captain we met a while back?”

“Yeah, it’s a pretty big surname among a lot of twi’leks on Nar Shaddaa and Nal Hutta. No idea if there’s actually any family connection there, though.  
Ke’vira’s most famous role was as Maevara the Huttbreaker, a series of holovids that were actually distributed a lot in hutt space. What you’re holding is a framed copy of a marketing poster for those vids.  
A lot of the Cartel tried to crack down on the studio, but the producers and the actress refused to stop. I mean, sure, they used animated hutts, but the scenes, especially the action ones, were very good, and still are today. Me and the gang used to watch some of them in this apartment, although they’re obviously not as famous anymore.”

Jaesa folds her arms, running a hand up to her chin in thought.  
“Hmm, that sounds rather intriguing. She and her team must have been really brave.  
What happened to them?”

Vette shrugs.  
“No one really knows. I mean, that was ages ago, so she’s obviously dead by now, but even during their time, Ke’vira and her team eventually disappeared. Most people believed they were killed by the hutts, but there’s no proof of that. In fact, no one has any proof of where they might’ve ended up.  
Obviously, I’m a big fan, because she’s really good. I’ve got a bunch of Ke’vira stuff stored here, which I don’t know where to send to. No museum wants it, and I haven’t found any organization specifically targeting relatively ‘modern’ twi’lek popular culture, so…”

Kira looks at her shorter girlfriend once more, as the smirk returns.  
“So, this is one of your ‘relics’ too, huh? Looks a lot more interesting than some of the other stuff you’ve shown us.”

It’s rare for them to see Vette be a little bit shy about things, but it seems the issue of such photos may be one of them and she clears her throat awkwardly.  
“Well, I mean…you know, she’s a, uh, very interesting and attractive lady. And yes, some of the poses in certain pictures are…fascinating. Not gonna deny I both admire and like her.”

Jaesa lifts one of her hands to gently caress Vette’s back.  
“And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I would probably feel the same if I found pictures like this one.”  
She takes a step forward and then pokes a few fingers into Kira’s side to tickle her.  
“We shouldn’t make fun of that.”

Kira starts to laugh and squirm as to get out from her other girlfriend’s grasp and then hurries to Vette’s side. She leans down to put a kiss on the twi’lek’s cheek.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. She looks good. I’ve never seen any vids of her either, so if you have them, maybe we should watch them later.”

Vette rolls her eyes, but she doesn’t really get angry.  
“Yeah, yeah, I know. And yes, we probably can. Unless the others have been here, a bunch of those vids should still be around. I can’t remember where, though, so we’d need to look for them.”

As all three continue their stroll through the apartment, the Jedi makes sure to put the poster down in a safe place.  
“I saw a bunch of stuff in one of the other rooms, when I took a quick peek. Could be in there.  
Although, you and your team really should’ve tried to clean a little bit before you left. It’s just a huge mess everywhere.”

“Pfff, well, maybe that’s easier if you don’t have a lot of space, but there were four of us, and we stored crap in here constantly. Besides, when we left, we were in a hurry. There was no time to think about if we had placed all of our boxes and datapads in the right order.”

Vette and Kira are soon busy in the room indicated by the Jedi, which apparently belonged to Plasmajack, according to Vette. There’s a whole bunch of stuff here, with varying communication units, storage discs, spare parts for terminals and other tech-related items. They are kept busy for a few minutes, mostly searching through the discs as to check if they contain the vids, when they suddenly hear a noise from an adjacent area. It sounds kind of like someone playing music, which makes the two share a surprised look, before standing up and hurrying in that direction.

What they find is Jaesa, sitting down behind a keyboard. Her fingers move across the keys with ease and precision, as the instrument plays some kind of slow, pleasant tune. Neither of the two actually recognizes it, but it’s definitely not something one might expect from an amateur.  
Jaesa is so caught up in her act, that it actually takes several seconds for her to notice that she has an audience. That’s when she stops, turns her gaze to them and scratches her cheek in mild embarrassment.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t see you come in.”

Vette’s face brightens substantially, and she wanders up to the Sith’s side.  
“Jae, that was amazing! I didn’t know you could play the keyboard so well.”

Jaesa emits a shy chuckle.  
“Well, I’m certainly no expert, but I did used to play quite a lot back when I still lived with House Organa.  
Lady Gesselle really enjoyed it, so she gave me permission to train and hone my skills with what her family had to offer. The man from the Organas, who I was originally meant to marry at some point, was quite a fan too, but I never played for either of them. I played for myself.”

During the explanation, Kira stops in front of the table where the keyboard is positioned, sits down with both of her arms resting against it, and watches her curiously.  
“That guy was really into you, huh?”

Jaesa is fairly amused by her reaction.  
“Don’t be jealous, Kira. I never returned those feelings.”

“Hey, didn’t say I was! Just making sure we’re on the same page. I know Vette and I are obviously better than anyone else.” 

On the other side, it seems Vette just got some sort of idea and she jumps up, hurrying over to some boxes and pulls out another kind of instrument, much smaller. It looks like a long round metal stick, with several lines around its length. One side has a weird ‘S’ shaped mouthpiece, with the other having a thin, small hole. The twi’lek lifts it up, puts it to her mouth and then starts to blow, playing a short, jolly little tune. 

The two humans sit and watches her quietly, and when she’s done, they both clap for her.  
“You also play an instrument?”, Kira asks.

Vette grins and shrugs.  
“A little bit of the kloo horn, yeah! I’m not the greatest, but I picked it up a couple of years ago. The team and I used to rehearse together, being one of our favorite activities. Taunt was on the keyboard, Plasmajack played the slitherhorn and Flash was best at bandfill.  
We were actually hoping to perform live at some point, but it was too hard to get any club to accept us, so we eventually just gave up.”

Jaesa looks a little bit saddened.  
“Really? I’m sorry to hear that, Vette. I think you’re pretty good.”

“Heh, thanks. I wasn’t all too upset, though. We stuck to playing at home whenever we could. We had fun and I think that’s what matters.”

Both of them then turn towards Kira, gazing at her almost expectedly. The Jedi sits up somewhat straighter and folds her arms, not quite as sure of herself any more, though.  
“Uh, what?”

“Well, what about you? If we play something, you wanna join in?”, Vette asks.

Kira leans back in her chair and sighs, eyes drifting off to the side. She doesn’t really seem ashamed, just somewhat awkward.  
“Uh, I don’t think so. I can’t really play anything.”

“That’s fine, you don’t have to! Maybe you can sing instead?”

Kira arches a skeptical brow.  
“…excuse me?”

“Well, I mean, I like your voice. I think it sounds very nice. I especially like whenever you ‘sing’ in bed.”

If there was any tension in the Jedi, that now evaporates, as she rolls her eyes and display a small smirk.  
“Ha ha, very funny. But no, definitely not gonna embarrass myself that way.  
Don’t worry about me, though. I can just sit here and listen to you two. It’s fine.”

Despite a small bit of disappointment at that notion, Vette isn’t about to protest or tell Kira what to do. If this is what she prefers, then that’s what she should be allowed to do.  
However, at the same time, Jaesa smiles at her other girlfriend, almost in a mysterious sense. The Sith and Jedi eventually share a brief gaze, until Jaesa shakes her head.  
“I know you probably don’t want to say it, Kira, but I can sense that you’re lying. Or perhaps that is a strong word, but you at least partially omitted the truth. You can play something.”

That stuns Kira into momentary silence, as if she hadn’t anticipated someone to see through her that easily.  
“W-what? How did you…”

“We share a bond, Kira. I know more of you than you might believe.”

At least Vette seems very pleased, grinning as she glances between the two.  
“Hah! So, we finally get some use for that Force stuff, huh?”

Kira sighs, slumping back against her chair.  
“Okay, listen…I do have a little bit of training, but not much. Seriously, it’s not good. I wasn’t lying about that.”

“What is it?”

The Jedi bites at her lower lip for a moment, contemplating if she wants to reveal anything, until she finally gives in.  
“I…I tried to play the drums back on Nar Shaddaa. There was a guy with an apartment that me and a few others used to stay at when I was much younger. He had a set.  
And I’m not kidding, by no stretch can I be called anywhere close to ‘good’ or even ‘okay’. Most of the time, I just used them to make noise or vent frustrations. It was, like, just a mess.”

Even if her explanation is meant to deter, neither of her partners seem to react that way. Jaesa shrugs and Vette shakes her head.  
“That is fine”, says Jaesa. “Neither of us mind if you’re good or not. We just want to have some fun.”

“Yeah, just do your best”, Vette adds. “Like, if you try to play something, anything you want, we’ll follow you and maybe we can make a tune out of it.  
We do have some drums over there in the corner.”

Kira turns around, eyeing the instrument standing there. It’s not the best quality, but at least seems functional. With a heavy sigh, she stands up and moves towards it, looking around for the included sticks and poking the various attachments, so that nothing is broken. She gives her girlfriends one last questioning glance, but they both peer at her expectantly.  
Even if she remains uncertain, she moves in behind the drums and sits down to prepare herself.

Tentatively, Kira starts them off, trying to create whatever she can with what she knows. The two other women follow as best as they can, although she thinks they sound much more cohesive than she does.  
It takes no more than a few seconds until she stops, forcing them to do the same.  
“This isn’t working.”

“Why not?”, asks Jaesa.

“Didn’t you listen? It just sounds like…noise. Horrible noise.”

Vette smiles and shrugs from her own seat.  
“Ah, I dunno. Feels kinda like the stuff I used to do with the gang sometimes. You don’t need to play a specific song to make music, you know.”

Jaesa nods in agreement.  
“You won’t learn if you won’t practice. Perhaps Vette and I can try to start something, and you do your best to add what you can. The quality doesn’t matter. Play what you enjoy.”

“Yup, feel the music flow through you. Just think of it like the Force!”

Those words are enough encouragement for Kira to chuckle.  
“Okay, okay, fine, guess I can try. Don’t expect much, though.”

They resume from where they were before, playing whatever chaos they’ve created. Kira does still think it sounds like absolute garbage, but she soon realizes that she doesn’t care. She has fun and it seems the other two feel the same.  
It only takes about a minute or two until they have to stop, though, when they hear one of the neighbors hammering against the wall to make them shut up. This gets the whole trio laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I do actually have a couple of chapter ideas for this story, which I might post every now and then during 2018. Unless my life is a complete mess at that point. We'll see_


	11. Parted paths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This chapter has all three, although the focus is on Vette and another character with a minor role in this story, Risha Drayen._   
>  _Bery Eka'Shodem, my twi'lek Smuggler character, is also mentioned here a few times._
> 
> _To be more specific, this coincides with chapter 5 of my "The precipice of division" story. I went into what Ktila and Zal did, but not the other three. So yeah, here's a little display of that, I guess._

The world of Potarraikos is located in the Mid Rim of the galaxy, one that has been aligned with the Republic for a few generations, but has had this idea questioned recently, when the Empire flew in to start trying to wrest control.  
That said, planets are quite big entities in the galaxy, and it’s hard for an entire world to feel the destruction across its massive surface, unless superweapons or giant fleets are involved, and this planet does not have enough attention for either. In fact, the battles have mostly been contained to certain sections of the northern hemisphere, which means that other areas have been left alone.

In the outskirts of a city on the southern hemisphere, closer to the equator, the nearby area is filled with relaxing greenery, large open fields and the occasional road for ground-based vehicles. Some of this vegetation has begun to turn yellow with the season, but it is still at least relatively nice and warm weather.  
For the most part, this section has been peaceful, and the only noises are from the people within the settlement, but today, that silence is broken by the firing of blaster weapons, but not due to a battle. Well, not a battle to the death, anyway.

Lying around the middle of a field are two people, a human and a twi’lek, both of them women. The former’s skin could be described as tan or light brown with accompanying neat brown hair, while the latter is definitely blue, with stripped tattoos along the lower half of her lekkus. Both of them are dressed for the weather, in pants and coats, with the human’s being somewhat longer.  
While the human holds a blaster rifle in her hands, the twi’lek is wielding one pistol, although both are enough to reach the targets for their contest.

After several seconds of stillness, it suddenly erupts when a few plastic items fly through the area a few hundred meters above them. The duo takes aim, hold their breaths, and then fire one shot each, which they hope will hit. The twi’lek blasts her target perfectly, but the human’s shot goes just barely past hers, making her sigh.  
“Hah!”, Vette exclaims with a grin and raised arms to the sky. “Nice try, Drayen, but looks like you’re not in as good form as you had hoped.”

Risha breathes out in disappointment and shakes her head.  
“I really thought that one would go straight for the mark. Must be something in the wind.”

Vette smirks knowingly.  
“Yeah, sure there is. Don’t even try it, since it won’t work; I use that excuse too.”

While she could certainly come up with some other reasons, Risha knows that none of them would fool her friend and therefore simply smiles instead.  
“Alright, fair enough, but you haven’t won just yet.”

“I did tell ya I’d catch up, though, didn’t I? Shouldn’t have been so overconfident when you had that lead earlier.”

It is true that Vette has now managed to equalize the score, but it doesn’t stop Risha from looking a little smug regardless.  
“You do remember that this used to happen when we were kids, right? Hope you recall that I won most of those situations too.”

In response, Vette spins her pistol around in her hand, not letting Risha’s words deter her.  
“You might have a point, but I’ve been practicing a lot since then. Better not underestimate me.”

“We’ll see, I guess. Final round, I think, so this will be the decider.”

Vette nods in agreement, as she has counted the same, before she looks over to the side and the people who stand in the distance. She raises her hand and waves at them, giving the two other women the signal that they should proceed.  
This is how it has been now for the last hour or so, ever since Risha suggested it. Vette and Jaesa came together with Zal’riva, being escorted by the crew Risha is in, due to her wish of seeing Ktila somewhere quiet, despite the battles to the north. This was obviously an opportunity for Jaesa and Vette to come meet their Jedi girlfriend, which they wanted to seize.

Back in the Hypertrail, the ship belonging to Risha’s Captain, Vette had suggested that Risha come with them, as she had never really been introduced to Kira and she haven’t had much chance to speak with Jaesa, but Risha turned the offer down to begin with. She doesn’t know why, but a few hours later, the mechanic changed her mind and went over to join them anyway. Although, perhaps calling her a ‘mechanic’ is not suitable anymore, as she’s now more of a businesswoman, being a co-owner of a company.

They started discussing the past for a while, letting Risha tell her story to the other humans, but when they suggested that it might be worth it to go sit down and have a few drinks, Risha wanted to make a contest out of it, to see who would have to put down the credits. They should do an old shooting duel, like they used to have when they were bored as kids.  
Both Jaesa and Kira thought it was somewhat silly, but as neither of the former scoundrels cared, the Force users had to come along with them. On top of this, they also have to act as the people who launch the targets and control them in the air with the Force, to increase the difficulty and add another interesting layer to the challenge.

They decided on fifteen rounds, and now that they’re closing in on the last one, Vette has just barely equalized it, after Risha was in a two-point lead earlier. As the final round is about to happen, and even though this is just a silly contest, both of them have to admit to themselves that they feel a little bit anxious, as neither wants to lose. It’s not just a matter of who gets to pay for drinks, but also a feeling of old pride rising to the surface. This could be seen as a sort of title match, of who gets to be the champion of their past.

Both of them raise their eyes as the items come flying, aim their weapons…and, underwhelmingly enough, their shots miss. Almost simultaneously, they let out miserable sighs. A tie wasn’t what either wanted, as there’s now no fun conclusion and also no one who will get the chance to gloat and empty as much of the other’s credits as possible.  
“Well, that was…unsatisfying”, Risha says.

“Yeah, pretty much. Not looking forward to the teasing I’m gonna get from Kira in a minute.”

Risha glances sideways at her friend.  
“We could ask them for an extra round, if we really wanna crown a winner.”

That doesn’t seem to be an option, as Vette merely shakes her head.  
“Nah, that wouldn’t be fair. We said fifteen and that’s done now. Can’t just keep adding until we get it right. We have to face facts – we’re both losers.”

Despite how she may disagree, Risha chuckles.  
“Yeah, okay, in this one field. Don’t count me in on anything else.  
Gotta say I’m slightly disappointed in you, though.”

Vette blinks confusedly at first and then arches an eyebrow.  
“What? Hey, you overshot too, miss corporate.”

“Tsk. I meant because your skill isn’t as high as Bery’s. Maybe you aren’t alike, after all.”

When the name is mentioned, Vette’s eyes shift towards something filled with more interest.  
“Your Captain?”

“Yeah.”

“You two have been hanging out for a couple of years now, right?”

Risha has sat up by now and she’s switching the safety mode on at her weapon.  
“Heh, I guess so. She’s been a good friend, quite like you were.”  
She looks a little contemplative for a moment, when she considers her words.  
“I have to confess that, when I first met her, I felt like she reminded me a lot of you. This was obviously a mistaken thought.”

Vette slowly shakes her head.  
“Because she’s a twi’lek?”

“Well…that too, I guess, but mostly because of her love of flying and shooting.”

“Those are good and fun hobbies.”

Risha snorts amusedly.  
“Sure, they probably are.  
It didn’t take long until I realized that there were a lot of difference in the details, though. Bery is more confident than snarky, more flirty and playful. She also isn’t much for the whole twi’lek liberation front stuff, nor does she care for the state of the galaxy.”

Vette starts to look a little skeptical.  
“Okay, not sure if she has her priorities straight, in that case.”

Not wanting to speak all too ill of her friend, Risha tilts her head back and forth as she considers every angle.  
“Well, I mean, she still has things that matter to her.  
Bery cares for her family, credits, her closest friends, and her ship.”  
Another smile appears on her lips.  
“In fact, compared to you, Bery gets _very_ attached to her ship. It’s practically her lover at times.”

It’s not for certain if she meant to elicit that reaction, but Vette laughs regardless.  
“That’s kinda silly, but I’ve heard of other pilots like that. It’s cute in a way, I suppose.”

While she tries to consider even more potential ideas of their differences, Risha has begun to pick her rifle apart, so that she can store it in her bag. That’s when a glint of amusement enters her eyes.  
“Oh, and uh…guess she’s a bit hotter than you, as well.”

Vette widens her eyes at first, but then she pouts.  
“…hey!”

Risha offers her a sly smile.  
“What? It’s just an opinion.”

These two had more of a sibling relationship, but Vette can see why Risha would be into someone like Captain Shodem.  
“Don’t tell me you slept with her.”  
While she tries to hide her expression, to not give anything away, some smugness seeps out, making Vette roll her eyes and chuckle.  
“You are so predictable.”

“Only once.”

“Uh-huh, sure it was.”

Trying to change the subject, Risha gazes at Vette with interest.  
“What about your own situation? You’ve taken quite a leap since that time on Nar Shaddaa. I’ve met your pal, Zal’riva, but suddenly out of nowhere, you’ve got _two_ girlfriends?”

Vette clears her throat and shrugs.  
“Meh, it’s nothing special.”

Obviously, Risha isn’t going to let her get away that easily, which is why she smirks and leans towards her friend, poking Vette’s side.  
“Hey, don’t give me that crap. I know there’s more to this. I always figured there were people that you felt attracted to, but you rarely met anyone. Something special with these two?”

Eventually, Vette starts to smile, almost a bit shyly.  
“Well…I guess so.  
It wasn’t like this to begin with, as we were mostly just friends; me and Jaesa, I mean. The more time I spent with her, though, the more I felt she was so nice, intriguing, confident, smart…and it eventually turned into attraction.  
Kira entered her life a few months later, and apparently, she felt a similar way. Initially, we were in conflict, because we both wanted her and couldn’t see any way out of it, other than to fight. Thankfully, it was Jaesa who made us realize how stupid we were being, that we can work out our differences and find happiness together. Now, I…you know, I love Kira too. I can’t really think of having this in any other way.”

After she’s done talking, Risha merely sits and watches her in silence to begin with, possibly trying to think of what to say. This doesn’t last forever, though, because she suddenly slides closer and lifts her hand. Before Vette can react, Risha has pulled down her friend’s headband over her eyes in a playful manner, and instead of allowing Vette to simply put it back, she also slips her arms around the twi’lek’s sides, to send a barrage of tickles.

“Hey, stop it!”, Vette says in between trying to hold in the giggles that escapes her mouth.  
“This…this isn’t fair!”

Risha smirks as she continues with this for almost half a minute, eventually relenting. As she does, she takes the opportunity to lean forward and puts a kiss on Vette’s forehead. Shortly after, she hugs her friend and speaks to her softly.  
“I’m glad you’re doing alright, Vette. You deserve it.”

Despite the fact that these two used to be and still are good friends, this isn’t quite the treatment Vette had expected, but she decides to accept it regardless. She returns the gesture, even if she feels somewhat awkward.  
“Well…yeah, you do too, obviously.”

Once they separate and Vette gets her headband back in place, Kira and Jaesa arrive in the vicinity. The latter has her arms folded, while the former moves a hand to her own hip.  
“Pretty unsatisfying ending, huh?”, says the Jedi. “Sat around doing this for so long, and then we don’t even get a winner.”

Vette turns towards her and grins.  
“You know what this means, right? You’ll be paying!”

Kira snorts and rolls her eyes.  
“No way! That was not in the deal. You two wanted a competition, so you’ll have to pay together.”

“Hey, why would I have to pay for your drinks?”

“You made me work!”

“Tsk. Don’t lie, Carsen. That wasn’t even a little bit tiresome for you.”

While her two girlfriends mess around, Jaesa smiles and looks at Risha instead.  
“Was this what it was like for the two of you in the past?”

Risha considers this thought for a moment while she watches her friend, but then dismisses the notion.  
“Not quite. Everything was a lot more hectic, actually. Plus, my father was always around to basically tell us what to do.”  
She puts her gear into the bag she brought with her and places it in her lap.  
“Sometimes, I miss those days, when everything felt a lot more carefree and every day had a pretty clear plan, despite all the crime, but I have to admit that it’s better now. We both have a secure and stable location to call home, as well as earning credits, and that’s the most important part, in my mind.”  
She shifts her attention immediately to the two Force users.  
“Which, by the way, I should probably give thanks to both of you. I’m glad that someone is around to look out for Vette.”

Vette narrows her eyes and pokes Risha skeptically with her foot.  
“Pff, I don’t need anyone to look out for me. It tends to be the opposite.”

“Total lies”, Kira remarks.

With a smile on her lips, Risha stands up and offers a hand for Vette, to get her up as well.  
“We should probably head back, so we’re in the area before Bery decides to leave.”  
Her eyes drifts between the Jedi and Sith.  
“Although, after all the fun you two had watching us, I wouldn’t mind seeing a lightsaber show, if the two of you want to play around for a bit.”

Jaesa offers another gentle expression.  
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind.”

Kira on the other hand, smirks and crosses her arms.  
“Uh, don’t think we’re gonna do that kind of stuff for free.”

“Oh?”, Risha asks. “Thought you were a Jedi.”

“Yeah, not a sucker!”

Meeting her gesture with a similar one of her own, Risha steps up to Kira and slides an arm around her shoulders.  
“Well, I have connections within your Order, you know. Ever heard of master Sumalee? She and I are…intimately familiar with one another. Entertain me, and maybe I’ll put in a good word for you.”

This makes Jaesa giggle, while Kira sighs and looks towards the twi’lek.  
“Vette…your friends are weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Realized I hadn't done any with Risha yet, so this was a good time._   
>  _I'm gonna do another next week, and while it is slightly more themed towards "winter holiday", it's...well, mostly cuddling._


	12. Warm dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Right, so here is my "winter holiday"...special, I guess. I mean, it's not really holiday-based or anything, they're just in a cold place. Sort of._   
>  _"Why don't you do a Life Day-themed thing?" Because I don't really like Life Day for various reasons._

With a small bit of reluctance and uncertainty, Vette steps out of the comfy bed and onto the cold metal floor below with her naked feet. The sensation immediately sends a shiver through her body, and she would really prefer to just jump right back into bed, but she can’t. She needs to find her socks, and they’re too far away to stay put. How come they haven’t bought a carpet to this room yet? They really need to cover this whole place up, so she doesn’t feel like dying every time she gets up. Then again, perhaps the current outside environment has something to do with this as well.

Vette isn’t exactly sure why, but they’ve landed in an exceptionally cold section of the planet they’re on, a world she can’t even remember the name of. And who cares anyway? The important thing is that Zal’riva chose to take the Tempest here, even if she knows that Vette hates snow and ice! Madness!  
Well, technically, the ship has enough internal heating for them to not actually feel much of the weather from the outside, but Vette somehow manages to let it infect her regardless. Maybe it’s the spirit of cold haunting her for some reason.

After getting her socks on and fetching a thin jacket, she leaves the room to go searching for another person. She’s got some pants and a shirt on too, but that wasn’t enough for her, not here.  
In one of the hallways on her short journey, she notices how a thickly red-white furred feline rests along the wall, seeming quite relaxed, despite the gloomy atmosphere of the grey halls. It has two tails and pointed ears that the fexiln species is known for, and although it’s not very big yet, it can be a handful sometimes.

“Morning, Tano”, Vette says softly.  
Its ears perk up and shortly after, she hears a purring sound from it as she seems to have initiated a pleasant response. She leans down to pet the little creature, which makes it expose its fluffy stomach for her.  
“You’re probably the only one who really enjoys it here, huh? Wondering if your kind evolved in that environment, or if you and I are just complete opposites.”

Tano doesn’t seem to react in any particularly different way, as it instead enjoys when Vette scratches and pets it, making her smile.  
She doesn’t stay for too long, as she still has a destination to reach, which is what she continues towards. Eventually, she arrives in the correct area, where she spots the woman she was searching for.  
Jaesa is standing by one of the benches in the kitchen, dressed in nothing but a shirt that certainly doesn’t cover her long legs and thighs, waiting by the water boiler. She has prepared three cups and something to put in them as well. They’ll eat breakfast too, but a bit later on.  
Vette remains by the opening to begin with, merely watching the human as she works with everything so delicately. It makes her smile, as she can’t help it; Jaesa is always such an adorable sight when she’s busy. Or, hell, probably all the time, but she can also be many more things.

It doesn’t take long until Jaesa notes how someone slowly approaches her from behind. She likely doesn’t know who it is, until two blue arms wrap around her waist and a pair of lips start to kiss the back of her neck. The Sith closes her eyes then, her own expression turning into a smile.  
“You are so sneaky sometimes.”

“Yep, I know. It’s a skill, really. I’ve had to train extensively to improve my ‘ambush kiss attack’, to the point where I’m now a master.”

Jaesa giggles and shakes her head. The hands around her waist doesn’t linger there for long, as they instead begin to slip under the shirt, slowly running over her stomach. This makes Jaesa gasp.  
“Hey, your hands are cold.”

“Mhm, kinda noticed. That’s why I’m using your body to warm them up.”

Even if she seems to complain, Jaesa doesn’t push them away.  
“Tsk. Or maybe wait until I’ve finished making the tea?”

Vette sighs and while she continues gently caressing the abdomen, she also leans her head against Jaesa’s back.  
“I still don’t get why we had to land here. Couldn’t those two have taken a shuttle and left us at a warmer spot?”

By those two, she obviously means both Zal and her beloved partner that she often goes to meet in secret.  
Jaesa shrugs.  
“I assume she had something important to do with master Ktila. Maybe the rest of the planet isn’t safe? Or it could be that the sensor signals from the outside are weaker in this area, which makes it more doable to arrange for a private meeting.”

With an even heavier exhale, Vette now nuzzles into her companion’s upper back, holding her close.  
“I still think it’s unfair. Doesn’t she know how much I hate this? I feel like I’m freezing just by seeing all this snow outside. It’s horrible.”

Jaesa can’t help but smile once more, as she thinks it’s amusing how they can have such different opinions about this matter.  
“So, does this mean that we will not be going out to make snow sculptures together?”

“…not even going to give that a proper response.”

“Maybe we can turn them into the shapes of Darth Baras, Cada Bliss or someone else, so that you can shoot them with your blasters. Could make for some fun pictures.”

Vette snorts, finding it funny how Jaesa is attempting to lure her with the kind of violence that she actually enjoys.  
“As hilarious as that would be, I think I’d rather stay inside.”

“Fine, but you will regret it once we leave.”

Her attention shifts towards the table instead, and the device that Jaesa has turned on.  
“So, what kind of tea are you making?”

“One based on Alberdon leaves from Bosthirda. They are said to be quite invigorating and relieves physical tension.”

“And you’re sure you know how to make this, right?”

With a slight smirk, Jaesa glances over her shoulder.  
“Are you questioning my tea brewing ability, Vette? After all this time?”

“Well, I mean…you remember that one you let me and Kira try out on Fzar VI? I’m not gonna say it was awful, but...”

“That was one time! And the locals assured me it was very tasty.”

“And they were wrong! We almost felt like coughing our lungs up after that crap. This is why I’m saying I hope you’ve prepared this properly.”

Jaesa sighs, taking the canister now that it announces completion of the boiling process.  
“I promise, this time there will not be any mistakes. I have tested this one, and I’m familiar with its effects. Trust me, you are going to be amazed once you drink this, to the point where you will beg for forgiveness that you ever doubted me.”

Vette chuckles and pokes a few fingers into Jaesa’s side.  
“Yeah, yeah, alright, let’s not overdo it. Doubt it’ll go that far.”

The Sith tries to squirm out of it.  
“No tickling while I’m pouring hot water!”

Vette is about to continue, but then another mischievous thought enters her mind.  
“Hmm…speaking of pouring water - how about we fill that one up with cold water and bring it to Kira? Could be a nice way to…wake her up.”

Seeing how Jaesa rolls her eyes, it’s almost as if she expected this.  
“Vette…”

“What? Oh c’mon, I was only joking! I’d never torture her, since it’s already a crazily cold place.”

“Sometimes, I just don’t know…”

The twi’lek smiles and gently caresses Jaesa again.  
“Tsk, don’t worry, Jae. I’m not going to fight with her or anything. This is just how she and I show our love.”

“Yes, I have come to accept that by now and sometimes I’m amazed it still works. I suppose the two of you are just naturally silly.  
Anyway, due to the cold exterior, I’d prefer if we are more intimate at this time.”

Once Jaesa has poured it all up, she puts each cup on a plastic tray and lifts it.  
“You wanna hug in bed, huh? Alright, I can go for a morning cuddle. Let’s go snuggle that little redhead.”

Side by side, the pair walks back through the corridors, moving past Tano and enters the cabin that the two have been using together on the Tempest for quite a while now. Vette does technically still have her own room, but spends much more time in here. It’s why they decided to buy a bigger bed too, especially due to Kira occasionally coming over.  
They find this other human lying on the bed right now, mostly naked, snoozing and tangled up in the sheets.

The sight makes Vette smirk as she places her hands on her own hips.  
“Pff, look at her. She’s such a lazy mess.”

“Well, she does look very sweet this way too.”

Jaesa moves around the bed to the other side, where there’s a slightly bigger table. She puts down the tray, which makes a bit of noise, and that is what takes Kira out of her slumber. Her eyes half open and the first thing she spots is the Sith slightly leaning down, exposing her pretty face, her bare legs and the top of her shirt that isn’t fully buttoned, which curls Kira’s lips somewhat.  
“Mm…good morning to you too.”

At first, Jaesa simply turns towards her, before she notices where Kira is looking. That makes her chuckle.  
“Hello there. Slept well?”

“Very. Woke up even better.”

On the other side, Vette is smirking, and she slips down into bed, quickly crawls over to the least dressed of her partners and lies down behind the Jedi. She places a hand on Kira’s chin, turns her head around and pushes their lips together in an eager kiss. Kira’s may be somewhat dry, but Vette helps with moistening them. Lifting one of her hands, Kira caresses one of Vette’s lekkus, leaning into the whole gesture even further.

“Thought you wanted a morning greeting from me too”, Vette says when they part.

“Always.”

Now that they’re so close together, Jaesa sees her opportunity to join them, embracing Kira from the other side, while nuzzling into her neck.  
“Hope there is space for me too.”

Unsurprisingly, this fills Kira with a lot of pleasant sensations, making her shiver of delight.  
“Did I…do something nice yesterday? Because I didn’t expect to get an amazing awakening like this.”

“Very unlikely”, Vette comments smugly, “but we’re in a cuddly mood. Just take it.”

Kira isn’t complaining about this fact, but she also smirks when she recalls another aspect.  
“Yeah, maybe, or does all the cold outside have anything to do with it?”

“Gonna stop me?”

“Never.”

Vette grabs the sheets and pulls it over them as they continue to enjoy such closeness, forgetting the unpleasant sensation of the floor or the cold winds outside.  
“Hmm. Should I have skipped making tea after all?”, Jaesa asks.

“Actually, I think it’d be very nice to have a cup right now”, Kira comments.  
“We can warm ourselves up with this, before we snuggle down.”

“That…technically wouldn’t get us anywhere, though, which feels like it goes against the purpose of drinking tea in the morning.”

Kira shifts her attention, and smirks in Jaesa’s direction.  
“You got somewhere important to be today?”

“Hmm, well, we are supposed to keep a lookout while our masters are elsewhere, just in case.”

Vette smirks and due to Kira being in the middle this time, Jaesa only sees the twi’lek waving her hand dismissively.  
“Bah, let 2V take care of it. He can warn us if he sees something dangerous. I guess that’s not a great plan, since he’s pretty much scared of everything, but I trust he can make a judgement call.”

While Jaesa giggles, Kira briefly shakes her head.  
“What would we be attacked by out here anyway? Wampas? Nexu?”

That’s when they hear a soft mewling noise from below and before any of them can react, Tano leaps into the bed, both tails and ears perked up, while it purrs eagerly.  
All of them are surprised at first, but then smile. Vette gives off an exaggerated gasp.  
“Oh no, the beast of the icy wasteland has come into our ship and it’s worse than all our nightmares! How are we gonna survive this encounter?!”

Kira smirks.  
“I’ll take care of this. Watch.”  
She puts her hand in under the fexiln, lifts it up and puts it on herself, so it’s in between all three.

Tano appears to really enjoy this, which is why it stretches out and attempts to steal the attention from all three. It seems to succeed, as the trio shows even more pleasant expressions.  
“I suppose we aren’t the only ones who want to spend the day being lazy”, Jaesa remarks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I renamed the species name. It was kinda stupid before._


	13. Questions of sensitivity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _It's Femslash February 2018, so...figured I'd post something with these three. Because I love them._   
>  _This chapter is actually from an earlier section of their relationship, when it was still a bit new to them. Since I do mostly one-shots in this story, figured I don't necessarily have to adhere to some kind of strict timeline._

Intimacy isn’t always perfect, lovely and fulfilling. That should be a given, but for those who haven’t engaged in all too much of it, perhaps because they haven’t had the chance to for many reasons, it can come as an uncomfortable realization.  
Sleeping together with someone, for example, can be a very pleasant experience due to the potential warmth and affection being created, but some problematic factors might appear. Even more so when you’re three, in one tiny bed.

As one trio is sitting within one of the cabins on the Tempest, the two humans are somewhat distracted by the whining and groaning from the twi’lek seated on the floor.  
“Dammit. I can’t believe it’s still so stiff.”

Jaesa, who’s located on a chair behind her desk, looks up from the terminal screen on the table and turns her head in her shorter girlfriend’s direction.  
“Your shoulder?”

Vette sighs and grimaces somewhat as she rolls her left shoulder around.  
“Yeah. Haven’t felt good ever since we woke up.”

“Well, it hasn’t been that many hours yet, but…are you sure it’s not due to our, uh, activities?”

The twi’lek drops the datapad she was holding on the ground and puts her hand on the correct arm instead. In response, she snorts.  
“Oh, c’mon, we weren’t that rough. Not even sure how that would affect my shoulder in any way.  
No, has to be because Kira had her head on it all night long in such an awkward angle.”

The other human is lying on the bed at this time, trying to do some mental exercises with various small objects. Problem is, she can’t really concentrate, due to the guilt.  
“Vette…I already said I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, thanks, I know. Doesn’t really help my shoulder, though, does it?”  
There’s clear annoyance in her retort.

“Well, I mean, what else do you want me to do?”

Jaesa is currently busy with studying some of the information she recently received about the Empire’s various Spheres, for when she might need to pick a new position, but it’s hard to focus with these two not doing so well.  
“Kira, that isn’t necessary”, she insists. “Vette was the one who suggested we all sleep in a small bed together, and since your head was on her shoulder before she fell asleep, she obviously didn’t mind. She would have pushed you away otherwise.”

She can see how Vette pouts towards her, but it’s not like the twi’lek can do much to argue. Besides, it’s rare for Jaesa to be wrong.  
“That’s-…ugh. Okay, fine, maybe it was partially my fault.  
…it still hurts, though”, she claims in a sulking fashion.

While Jaesa rolls her eyes and considers ignoring it, Kira does not. She hasn’t been hanging out as much with them in private, due to her position in the Republic, so she feels bad coming here and hurting one of those important to her.  
“Are you sure I can’t make it up to you? Anything you want.”

Vette glances sideways at Kira and seriously ponders teasing her further. It is part of why she acts like this, after all. But, no, that would probably upset Jaesa.  
“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll deal with it. Just ignore me and my grumbling.”

“But it’s not fine, though. You’re obviously not alright.”

“It’s distracting, sure, but I’m not suffering or anything.  
And what can you do anyway? It’s not like you’ve got any Jedi tricks that can magically make the stiffness disappear, right?  
…do you?”

Kira clears her throat and scratches the back of her head.  
“Not…exactly, no. I haven’t learned to use the Force much for healing yet. But hey, maybe I can do something else for you? My massaging skill is pretty decent.”

A tempting offer, if it came from anyone else, but Vette views the Jedi Knight skeptically.  
“You sure? You’re not known for being the gentlest of people. Are you confident you wouldn’t, like, break my shoulders completely?”

“Hey, I can be gentle!”

“Don’t think the last bad guys we faced would agree with you.”

Kira rolls her eyes.  
“Oh c’mon, that’s not a fair comparison and you know it! I’m smart enough to know the difference between combat and leisure time.”

As the apprentice has been listening in on the conversation, she now smiles and moves her gaze in Vette’s direction.  
“That’s a good idea. You should give her a chance, Vette.”

There’s definitely some reluctance on Vette’s face, and she takes a deep breath, feeling like she’ll regret this, but…  
“…yeah, yeah.  
Where are we doing this, then? The bed?”

Kira tosses her training objects away to make some space and pats the area ahead of her.  
“Sure, it’s the softest spot we got. Sit right here.”  
It might be preferable to lie down for sessions like these, but it’s really only a small section of Vette’s figure that hurts, which is why she chooses to follow the instructions. As she gets seated, Kira slides in from behind, letting their bodies touch.  
“Alright, now try to relax. Don’t wanna make this tension any worse.”

Shortly after this, Kira starts to work with her hands, obviously doing her best to prove how tender she can be with her touch. Vette has already experienced the type of things Kira can do with her fingers in other areas, but this is an intriguing opportunity.  
What the twi’lek doesn’t know is that she also uses very light applications of the Force in this process, through small and precise doses. It’s barely noticeable.

After a while, Vette is sitting there with her eyes closed, more relaxed than she initially expected.  
“Wow. Damn, you’re…really good at this”, she says softly. “Sure you didn’t pick the wrong profession?”

Kira displays a small smirk, something Vette can’t see from this angle.  
“It is fun to watch you, but I don’t think I’d want to do this full-time, no.”

“Where did you get so skilled at it then?”

“Well, it’s not like this requires a lot of prior knowledge or anything. I mean, beyond the basics.  
I used to give some massages to master Kiwiiks, as she occasionally strained herself during our training. She is pretty old, after all.”

Vette nods slowly, trying her best to focus on the conversation. Kira’s hands are fairly distracting.  
“Hmm. You get very handsy with your masters, don’t you?”

Kira arches her brow doubtfully, slightly surprised by the implication.  
“Uh, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re physical with them, I mean. Noticed that between you and Ktila too. A lot of hugs and touching.”

The Jedi considers this angle and realizes that there is some truth to it. She snorts slightly.  
“I mean…yeah, sure. Guess I like intimacy. Doesn’t always have to mean anything.”

“And I wasn’t implying that it does. I’m saying I think it’s kinda cute.”

The longer the two of them sit there, the more Vette seems to recline out of enjoyment, almost to the extent where she’s about to lie down. In the meantime, Kira can’t help but notice how the lekku on her girlfriend keeps twitching around a lot. There’s constantly movement from them whenever she does anything, of course, as it’s part of how twi’leks express emotions – or so she’s been told – but at this time, it makes her wonder if she could attempt something else.

“Hey, do you think I could try this on your lekku?”

This appears to partially get Vette’s attention and she opens her eyes almost immediately, looking kinda unsure.  
“What, massage them?”

“Yeah. I mean, since we’re already here. Unless that makes you uncomfortable.”

Vette hesitates, briefly trying to ponder if it’s wise or not. Usually, she would probably decline, but she’s too relaxed to think clearly.  
“You...could try, I suppose. Have you done it before? Your old master is a togruta, right?”

“Nope, never thought to do so. But I’m pretty sure I get the deal. How hard can it be anyway?”

“Well, uh…”

That’s as far as Vette gets, before she emits a quiet gasp as Kira moves her hands to the head-tails and slowly tries her best to please her shorter girlfriend.  
At the same time, Jaesa has been observing their interaction with a lot of interest. She loves seeing them together like this, to know that they’re getting along. Their relationship has met a lot of bumps along the road, after all, and she wants to make sure they get through them. This probably won’t end well either, but they should be allowed to make that mistake.

The Jedi continues her motions, similar to what she did to the shoulders, which she quickly comes to realize is not a great idea. She uses a little bit too much force and Vette suddenly flinches and yelps.  
“Ow! Careful, dammit!”

Kira twitches in surprise, letting go of the appendages.  
“Uh…sorry! I was trying to be gentle, I swear.”

Vette pouts and slides her lekku to the front, caressing them in a sullen manner.  
“Yeah, sure you were. Do you even know the meaning of that word?”

The two of them don’t get into any bickering phase, however, as they hear Jaesa giggling. The Sith stands up from her chair and moves towards their location instead.  
“Kira, you don’t know much about lekku, do you?”

The other human looks up from her position, her face displaying a bit of guilt again.  
“Well…no. Guess I haven’t studied that type of physiology much.”

“You can’t treat them like you do every other body part. Not on twi’lek, anyway.”

“Exactly”, Vette agrees. “Think I’m gonna keep our Jedi away from them for now.”

“Actually”, Jaesa tells them as she sits down, “I could teach you, Kira. I have done this sort of thing on with Vette before, so I know a little bit more what I’m doing.”

Kira looks at Jaesa with mild surprise in her eyes.  
“You have?”

“Mhm. Vette gave me a few pointers months ago, but I also decided to read up on some guides in my spare time, so it could be done as efficiently as possible. I didn’t want to hurt Vette.”  
It doesn’t surprise either of them that Jaesa would be the type of person to prepare herself to an almost absurd degree, for a simple massage. Then again, when it comes to these body parts, perhaps that’s the wiser choice.  
“May I?”, she asks Vette as she raises her hands.

Vette still looks somewhat sulky after what was done to them previously, but she doesn’t oppose the apprentice’s offer. It is true that this won’t be their first go.  
After the twi’lek turns around, Jaesa lets Kira sit down next to her and she starts to stroke very slowly and gently along the long smooth head-tails, not even using the Force in any way for the time being.

“The lekku belonging to twi’leks”, Jaesa explains, “can be quite sturdy, depending on the person. Master Zal’riva, for example, have suffered combat wounds on hers from time to time, but due her strength in the Force and general robust physique, she can endure that pain. With more delicate individuals, like Vette, it’s a little different. Especially in private, the wrong touch can make them extremely sensitive.”  
She gradually rotates her hands, not just over the length, but the thickness of the tails too and Vette shuts her eyes to enjoy the treatment.  
“Lekku are connected to them in such a manner that physical contact can have a wide variety of meanings and reactions. There are ways and areas you can touch that will initiate different emotions. Hit the right spot, with the appropriate pressure, and they’ll relax completely.”

Apparently, she has studied Vette behavior quite carefully, as the twi’lek suddenly tilts her head back and sighs contently when Jaesa slowly rubs a particular section, losing herself in it.  
“…stars. Don’t stop. Please.”

“There are some places that can be quite…amusing too”, she says and her lips curl somewhat.

She shifts the position of her hands and instead of stroking, she quickly and lightly taps her fingers against the length of the lekku. Vette suddenly start to laugh and squirm.  
“Hey, not fair! No tickling!”

Kira can’t help but chuckle as well when she sees this reaction. She’s having a lot of fun watching this lesson. Jaesa does follow the request before she proceeds, though.  
“There are so many things one can express with lekku, some that I will probably never understand, but there is a particular one that you might find of interest.  
These special zones can be rather…pleasing, you see. I believe one is right…here.”

Jaesa pushes her thumb into this new spot and rubs it tenderly. As it happens, Vette’s eyes slowly flutter close. She curls her toes and bites her lower lips instinctively. Not all too long after, she emits a quiet moan that she can’t suppress.  
Not being able to ignore it, Vette turns to face Jaesa, puts one hand at the back of the apprentice’s head and pulls her down into a deep and determined kiss. Once their lips part a few seconds later, she whispers in response.  
“Stop teasing me. You’re making me excited.”

Now that the treatment has ended, Jaesa smiles and moves her hand to caress Vette’s cheek instead.  
“Sorry. Just wanted to show Kira how important this is to you, in a way that she could understand.”

From her side, Kira smiles and folds her arms.  
“Well, I’m impressed. I clearly need to learn more too. I didn’t realize how versatile these things are.”

Once Vette corrects her own position, she turns towards Kira.  
“Well, it’s not all that different. You can get many similar responses with hair, you know.”

“Uh, not sure it’s this broad, but…”

“Well, look. If I go up to you and pull your hair like this, how’d you feel?”  
Before Kira has a chance to stop it, Vette has already lifted a hand to the red strands and grabs some of them to drag backwards. It’s not a hard yank, but certainly enough.  
Kira is not ready for it, but instead of groaning in pain, she gasps, almost excitedly. Both Vette and Jaesa blinks in surprise.  
“...wait, what was that?”, Vette inquiries suspiciously.

Kira clears her throat and can do nothing to hide a slight blush on her cheeks.  
“W-what? What do you mean?”

Vette tilts her head curiously and her lips twist into a smirk.  
“Don’t tell me this is what you’re into, Carsen.”

Trying to pull herself free, Kira raises her hands to correct the hair again.  
“Uh, I…I didn’t say that.”

Unfortunately, her partner is already too curious to let this go. Before the Jedi can escape, Vette slides into her lap and leans over her, forcing Kira to put her arms behind her for support.  
Vette runs her own hands into the depths of Kira’s hair and gently drags it back. It’s not a harsh maneuver, but enough to be seen as a dominant move. She appears to use exactly the right amount of pressure, as Kira shuts her eyes and gasps louder, intermingled with a light moaning noise.  
Vette grins.

“Think I’ve found her weak spot”, Vette claims confidently and then bends down to nibble playfully at Kira’s exposed neck.

Jaesa snickers as she watches the two of them, really enjoying how silly they can be together.  
However, this emotion transforms into something much more…excited later on. She realizes that she doesn’t want to be left out here and therefore decides to involve herself as well, by kissing along Vette’s left collarbone.  
It might be a bit early for these types of acts, but she can study the Empire’s politics later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Don't actually know if this sort of thing is possible with lekku, but I have read that they can be quite sensitive and twi'lek have certain erogenous zones there._


	14. Step into freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Here's another monthly update to this fic. This particular chapter contains another class companion too._   
>  _This reference is a little bit delayed (like 1,5 years late), but back in "Through passion's gateways"[chapter 27](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6838579/chapters/18815053) I mentioned that I had certain plans for what Vette and Jaesa would be doing on Ziost during the festival. Yeah, this is what they were doing._

‘The season for bloodfall endless and searing rise anew’ or simply the ‘Bloodfall festival’ as it’s better known, is an event with a long history and importance on the imperial world of Ziost. It pertains specifically to the Sith species and a lot of the activities that one can participate in are about sections of their old history. To some people, it is an interesting experience to attend these festivities specifically to learn more or to just have fun. For others, it’s a good opportunity for a heist, while the majority of the populace are distracted.

In the underground sections of New Adasta, not far from a moderately-sized building belonging to the Sphere of Production and Logistics, two individuals can be found hiding in the shadows outside of it. They are admittedly rather difficult to spot, which is also the point. They are wearing darker and more concealing clothes, with cloaks and hoods that obscure their identities. Silently, they watch the troops that guard this facility from afar, waiting for potential patrols.

It seems the duo was correct in their assumption regarding the amount of people present, as they can only see a few soldiers nearby. As it is not a main building in any way, no citizens can be spotted in the vicinity either.  
After they’re both satisfied with their scouting session, they step back and go far into the alleyway they’re located in, so that they won’t be overheard.

The shorter one of the two lifts her head somewhat and pulls back her hood enough for her face to be visible. Vette turns to look at her companion.  
“We should contact her now. Bet she’s waiting for us.”

Her companion, which happens to be Jaesa, corrects her hair under her own clothes and uses the other hand to dig around in her pockets.  
“You’re probably right.”  
The apprentice lifts up a communicator from her pocket, without any holographic transmitter or display, and then pushes the button that automatically connects them to the correct frequency.  
“Mako? We’re ready.”

On the other side, they hear the young slicer snorting amusedly.  
“Not sure that was correct comm protocol, but I guess this isn’t an official mission either.”

Vette rolls her eyes.  
“Well, duh. You prepared your stuff or what?”

“Of course I have, long before you girls even got into position! I’m ready to help, but you’ll have to move quickly when I give the signal.”

“Yeah, we got it. Before you do anything, though, could you quickly tell us about the device again?”  
She lifts something out of her own pocket, which is no larger than a credit chip.  
“We really just plug it in?”

“Uh-huh, once you’ve reached the correct terminal. You have to find the right slot, but it should be possible to use any that normally allows attachments. When you’ve done that, I’ll handle the rest remotely.”

Jaesa nods slowly, a contemplative look in her eyes.  
“That sounds like something we should be able to do, but it might take a few minutes to get in there. There are a number of guards we will have to get past, preferably without being noticed.”

“Yeah, which we can handle”, Vette assures both her friend and the slicer. “But you better make sure that the cameras are definitely down, Mako. If we trigger alarms, we’re pretty screwed.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing”, Mako tells them. “You contacted me for a reason, right? Trust me, this won’t be difficult. Imperial systems in this type of facility are a cakewalk. You’ll just have to follow my instructions.  
Now, while I’d normally say that we should stop debating and just do it, I wanna make sure you’re both aware what we’re getting into. I mean, I can take care of the cameras, but if you’re discovered in some other way, you might be in some real trouble. Sith don’t take kindly to others breaking into their stuff.”

They note how she doesn’t include herself in the equation and perhaps that’s fair. She would likely pull out immediately if the mission fails and they can’t blame her for it.  
Vette is the one to snort this time.  
“Yeah well, I don’t take kindly to them enslaving my people; or any other species, for that matter.”

Jaesa smiles at her girlfriend and nods.  
“Indeed. No need to be concerned, Mako – we will deal with any repercussions.”

They hear a brief sigh over the comm.  
“If you say so. Let’s do it then.”  
They have to wait about a minute at most, until they hear from her again.  
“Right, their camera feed should now be altered and they’re seeing a loop from hours ago, while I have the live one. Get going.”

Vette gets back on her feet and pulls out her pistol, but before she can move anywhere, Jaesa puts a hand on her shoulder.  
“Vette, that isn’t necessary.”

The twi’lek glances over her shoulder, first at the hand and then the Sith’s face.  
“Maybe not, but I wouldn’t mind shooting these bastards anyway.”

“Well, I could argue that they’re just guards and don’t necessarily reflect the opinions of those in charge. However, more importantly than that, we shouldn’t cause too much commotion. Gunfire might get noticed, so we should do this the stealthier way.”

Vette seems disappointed and starts to pout when she realizes the truth of this claim, before she holsters her weapon once more.  
“Fine. So, what do you suggest instead?”

“You have your stun baton, right? Combine that with my powers and we can knock them out, if we get really close.”

“Alright, but you’ll have to grab their attention.”

After leaving the shadows, the duo walks onto the pretty small street outside and approaches one of the side entrances of this facility, which currently has two guards strolling around nearby. They haven’t left this location during the entire scouting process, which means they likely won’t go anywhere, anytime soon. Both of them appear fairly relaxed and chat rather casually, so they’re not on edge or prepared for anything, which is an advantage.

The two women can walk almost all the way up before they’re noticed.  
“Halt. This is a restricted area”, says one of the guards.

Jaesa clears her throat and then pulls her hood back just a little, in order to display her face, so that they can see she’s human. She offers a gentle and innocent smile.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be a bother or anything, but I was hoping to ask for directions. I haven’t found anyone that can help me.”

“You shouldn’t be here”, the other one tells her cautiously.

“Please, I just want to know where the right street is. Here”, she says and lifts out a datapad, “I have a map. You can point it out for me. It’ll only take a second.”

They hesitate for a moment and look at each other. The first one shrugs at the second, who follows up with a sigh.  
“Alright, but then you need to go.”

As they approach in order to take a look, Vette takes a few steps to the side, seemingly to not be in the way, but actually has a different goal in mind. When one isn’t looking, she pulls the baton out from her sleeve, activates it and then thrusts it straight into the side of this soldier. An electric jolt is sent through his body and he only emits a shocked gasp, before he collapses to the ground.  
This obviously surprises the other guard, who fumbles with her weapon.

“What the hell?! What do you think you’re-“

Luckily, before she can get too far, she has lost sight of Jaesa and the Sith uses a gentle application of the Force to thrust this woman into a nearby metal pole, with the head first. She wears a helmet, but it isn’t enough for her to stay conscious with this type of impact.  
While Jaesa telekinetically floats both bodies towards the door, Vette stops by the controls on the side and unlocks it. She pokes her head in, so that she can quickly examine the interior and listen for noise. After she’s satisfied, she nods at Jaesa, and the Sith sends the soldiers in first, dropping them on the floor, before they both follow.

This building should hold the database that they’re searching for. It belongs to the Sphere of Production and Logistics, being one of the facilities that supervises and archives all information regarding transports. Well, technically it's not one of the main buildings that do this, but rather acts as a backup. This is useful for the two women, as there are less guards around and the personnel here are unlikely to suspect that anyone would be interested enough to break in.

Their hope with this little ‘heist’ is to get into these databanks and mess with the contents.  
They have two main goals - obtain news regarding slave shipments and compounds, and alter this information in the records, so that the Empire won’t notice when they later attempt to free those slaves. At least not for a while.  
For this purpose, they obviously needed someone who’s good with computer systems and data acquisition. The only one they knew who might be willing to help was Mako, a slicer partnered with the Grand Champion of the Great Hunt. Neither of the duo would call her a ‘friend’, but she can be accommodating, certainly enough to help out for a reasonable purpose like this.

Now that they’re inside, Mako contacts them almost immediately.  
“Good, you’re in. I’ve got slightly bad news – there are more guards around than we might’ve expected, so you’ll have to be careful. Well, unless you really want a fight, I guess.”

Vette runs up to the next door and peeks out through a small window in the center, towards the corridor. She sighs before she responds.  
“I’d prefer it that way, but Jae is being a bore.”

The apprentice rolls her eyes and is trying to get the guards seated close to each other, while tying them up, just in case they awaken.  
“If by ‘bore’ you mean ‘smart and keeping us safe’, then yes.”

“Blegh. Doesn’t sound like a heist at all.”

Ignoring their little bickering, Mako continues to feed them intel.  
“Right, I’ve sliced a couple more cameras, which should last for a few minutes, so they won’t be a problem.”

“Okay, we’ll start moving as soon as we see that the coast is clear”, says Jaesa, while she wanders up to the other side of the door.

While she intends to simply keep going, Vette throws a glance in the direction of the guards.  
“You know, we could take the armors from those soldiers. Might be useful if we accidentally stumble into someone.”

Jaesa examines the same people, before she looks skeptically at Vette.  
“Do you know the protocol for this squad?”

“Well…no.”

“We also don’t have ID tags and I somehow doubt that their gear would fit us. Besides, this equipment is rather noisy to walk around in. I believe we want to avoid that.”

Vette tries to compare the size of the tied-up woman to her own, and realizes that Jaesa may have a point.  
“Bah, fine. Let’s hope I’m wrong about needing ‘em, though.”

Whether they’re luckily or just skilled is hard to tell, but both of them do manage to sneak past the other patrols in the area, especially with the occasional advice from Mako of where to stop.  
When they are almost at their destination, though, and they just have to go past one more corridor, Mako warns them again, whispering over the comm.  
“Wait! Two soldiers coming from the hallway to the left. I think they’re going straight for you.”

Jaesa blinks and tries to focus. As she does, she’s pretty sure she can hear their footsteps in the distance.  
“Damn. Okay, uh, should we go back?”

“Hmm, no I think that’s a bad idea. Another trooper is wandering in that direction and will likely pass your corridor.  
Can you find a door to hide behind or something?”

While Jaesa hesitates, feeling a little bit overwhelmed with the options available, Vette suddenly grabs her arm and drags her away. They end up in a maintenance closet, with various cleaning equipment and small deactivated droids.  
As they wait for the soldiers, the two of them stand very close in the darkness, pushed up against one another. Vette basically has her head on Jaesa’s chest.

Once the troopers have passed, Vette finally notices their positions and she glances up at the apprentice’s face with an amused look.  
“So…come here often, cutie?”

Jaesa smiles and rolls her eyes.  
“Stop it.”

“What? This is exciting, isn’t it? Doesn’t get your heart racing?”

“Not as much as you do.”

Vette displays a small grin.  
“Good answer”, she says and seizes Jaesa’s chin, leaning closer. Their lips lock in a kiss that is all too brief, but thoroughly enjoyable. It helps to ease the nerves somewhat, knowing that they can rely on each other.

Not long after they’ve left, they find the right room with the terminals and databases that they need to access. Within this section, however, there are two more people working, but both of them seem to be civilian staff, rather than soldiers. They look somewhat confused when the duo simply waltzes inside.  
“Wait, who are you? You don’t work here. What-“

Before they can protest any further, Jaesa raises her hand to interrupt them and then attempts to utilize a sterner voice.  
“I don’t have time to talk right now. I need access to your terminals.”

This isn’t a request, so much as a demand. The claim is enhanced by Jaesa parting her cloak a little and exposing what she hides on her belt – a lightsaber. This immediately frightens the workers, who backs off.  
“O-oh, my lord, uh…of course. We wouldn’t dream of getting in the way of a Sith, so erm…take your time.”

Feeling no desire to continue the inquiry, the staff members return to their corners, practically hoping to stay out of sight.  
When they’re gone, Mako’s voice reappears.  
“I heard that. Pretty smooth, I have to say.”

Vette smirks and folds her arms.  
“Yep. Jae knows how to look badass.”

The Sith herself sighs and shakes her head.  
“But I don’t always enjoy it. This isn’t how Force users should be perceived.”

“Tsk. I see what you mean with ‘no fun’ now, Vette”, says Mako.  
It takes no more than half a minute to search through the terminals, to see which one they want. Once they are standing in front of it, they quickly sweep the area around them with their eyes and when no one is watching, they plug Mako’s device in, letting her get to work.  
“That should do it. Gimme a second.”  
They notice a lot of information scrolling past on the screen, as Mako operates remotely, unlocking the files that they require.  
“Alright, while I’m doing my stuff, feel free to attach a data card carrier or something, to take what info you need. My connection won’t last forever, so I’ll have to scrub any traces of your intrusion as you choose the files, but I suggest doing it quickly.”

While Vette gets seated in the chair, Jaesa is standing behind her, leaned forward with eyes at the screen. She tries to check as much as she can, to figure out where they should go.  
“Do you want us to start with any twi’lek-heavy shipments?”, she asks her girlfriend quietly.

Vette considers this for a moment, weighing the options in her mind. It doesn’t take long for her to come to a decision and she shakes her head.  
“We’re not here to pick favorites. Let’s focus on any shipments and compounds we can get ahold of, no matter the species.”

A reasonable choice that Jaesa approves of and it makes her smile.  
“Sounds good to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Haven't had anything related to liberating slaves with these two yet, which I feel is something they are passionate about. I didn't want it to simply be "shoot down some slavers and then rescue the slaves", so I figured I'd write something related to information gathering and preparational tasks. Maybe I'll do a "rescue mission" at some point in the future too._


End file.
